Your Body Does Not Belong to You

Healthy-LivingFather’s Day is approaching and it is time to speak to the men. (Hint: this article will be totally helpful to women as well, but do not tell the men that!) To all the men out there, especially you guys who are near or over 40, the days when you felt like an invincible warrior may seem so long ago. But there is great news for you! You can feel vigorous and alive, strong and powerful, and full of energy all day long, just like you did in the “glory days” of your teens and twenties. There are some very doable things that will help you recapture the splendor of your youth and help you feel that way in your 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and beyond!

However, if your treat your body poorly, if you do not eat properly, exercise, drink ample water or get enough rest, you are not only ruining your health and your energy, but you are dishonoring God by abusing your body, the temple of the Holy Spirit. If you overeat, are overweight, or have “out of range” readings on your lab tests or stress tests, then you are living with a “body by you” and not a “body by God!” The Bible says, “Do you not know that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

You are the steward of your body; it does not belong to you. What are you doing with it? Would you neglect a lawn mower or power tool borrowed from a neighbor? Would you leave it out to rust or fill it with contaminated gasoline? You know you would not. So, why do you neglect your own body with bad habits and laziness? Let this article serve as a “Final Notice of Eviction.” If you do not take care of your body, God will politely “evict you” much sooner than you would like, if you catch my drift.

Exercise
It turns out that there is a simple (yet profound) way to turn back the clock on your rapidly deteriorating health and fitness level. There’s also a way to turn on your anti-aging hormones. You can do all this at the same time that you lose fat, gain muscle, get flexible and become heart healthy in 15-30 minutes per day, 3-5 days per week. And it can be done anywhere with little or no gym equipment.

Interval training
The secret to the entire program is a concept not new in the fitness world, but is in recent years receiving much greater attention. The idea of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is finally taking its rightful place as the preferred method of exercise. It is called HIIT when done using “cardio-like” exercises. Metabolic Resistance Training (MRT) happens when using some form of resistance, like weight-lifting or calisthenics. Both operate under the well-researched premise that short bursts of intense exercise (10-30 seconds) followed by 30-90 seconds rest are far more beneficial than traditional forms of exercise. It is more effective at burning calories, losing fat and getting in good functional condition than hours of sustained cardio exercises or weightlifting. Plus, you will save so much time in the gym, and your risk of injuries and recovery time are significantly less.

Hormone balance
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is the hormone of youth. In synthetic form, this is one of the “cheater drugs” that many athletes use to enhance their performance. It is injected to boost HGH levels significantly above what is produced endogenously (naturally made in the body). However, the body will also significantly increase HGH naturally following HIIT. This type of training also makes the body more sensitive to insulin so you are less likely to suffer with insulin resistance. This is a pre-diabetic state in which your body secretes normal levels of insulin but the insulin does not transport sugar the way it should. For men, HIIT has also proven to raise testosterone levels, a wonderful benefit for any older male! But the news gets even better if you employ a simple dietary concept along with your training.

Intermittent fasting
When HIIT is combined with intermittent fasting, all of the above effects are further heightened. Intermittent fasting is a short fast characterized by abstaining from foods for up to 18 hours, confining your day’s food intake to six hours. After 12-14 hours of fasting the body naturally increases HGH and testosterone. When combined with intense exercise done before food intake, you accentuate the hormonal benefits. The combination also triggers the release of brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and muscle regulatory factors (MRF), which rejuvenates brain and muscle tissue respectively. So, exercise while fasting signals your body to keep your brain tissue and muscle fibers biologically young. In addition, this type of fasting increases the body’s antioxidants defense against free radicals, helps with detox and also boosts insulin sensitivity. Wow!

The benefits of High Intensity Interval Training and Metabolic Resistance Training are numerous. And when combined with Intermittent Fasting on your workout days, you have a one-two combo that is sure to help you recapture the vigor and energy of your youth.

However, even with all the benefits of exercise, remember Paul’s admonition – “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).

Dr. Jeff Hazim is a chiropractor and nutritional counselor practicing in Pompano Beach (TheBrowardCenter.com), and Executive Director of “Biblical Health Television,” the only TV network devoted to Biblical Health (BiblicalHealth.tv). Weekly radio broadcasts: BlogTalkRadio.com/BiblicalHealth

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