Health & Fitness

    

Phil Needler Ministries is interested in not only helping people spiritually, but also physically. As you can see from the picture above, I am not only a Pastor, but I am also a personal trainer. I get a lot of questions from people concerning health and fitness, so I'm hoping this section of the website will be helpful to many. There are many things that are good to know when it comes to working out and eating right. This page will probably grow over the course of time. It may eventually turn in to a book. Only time will tell.

First of all, when it comes to physical health and fitness, the best time to loose fat is now! Notice that I did not say "loose weight". I said loose fat. It is fat that people are really concerned with loosing. It really doesn't matter what the scale says. Two major things matter: 1. Do you look good? 2. Do you feel good? If you look and feel good you are all set physically speaking. 

Back to my point. The older you get, the more your body's metabolism slows down. Therefore, the best time to eat right and workout is now; not ten years from now. It will be easier for you to loose the fat now then it will be if you try it in ten years from now. Especially if you spend the next ten years neglecting your health and fitness.

Also, remember, if you don't put the fat on, then you don't have to take it off. It is easier to keep it off then to bring in on board and then try to throw it off ship! You must burn 3,500 calories in order to remove one pound of fat! 

People's Excuses:

- I don't have time.

- It's not worth the work.

- It's too expensive to eat right.

With these excuses, it is no wonder people let themselves go. The underlying statement for each of these excuses is a lie that the devil wants you to believe. 

Satan's lie is....you are not worth it! You are not worth the investment of time, effort, and money. That is a lie from the pit of hell! You are worth it! 

Some Christians Excuses:

- It doesn't matter how I treat my body because God looks on the heart. 

- This body is going to die anyhow, so why does it matter?

First of all, you are partially right. God does look on the heart. And as a preacher, I must admit that it is better to have a heart that is spiritually healthy than to have bi-cepts that are impressive. However, while God does focus on our spiritual heart condition, He also expects us to be good stewards of the body He intrusted us with.

Secondly, the other part of that verse tells us that man looks on the outward appearance. Arnold Schwarzenegger commands much respect by just his appearance alone. If the truth be told, we can either command respect or loose respect in the eyes of people by our appearance. 

Now why is that important? If we have first commanded the respect of others through our appearance (first impression) they will be more ready to receive what we have to say about the Word of God. 

Why did I put a body building picture of mine at the top of this page? It gives credibility to what I am saying. You wouldn't be reading this if the picture showed me to be out of good physical condition.  

Now before I come across as a cruel person who is picking on people who are over weight, let me say this. I understand that some people have health issues and will never be in good shape. I understand that some people have problems with their metabolism and don't have much hope for being in good physical condition. I know that there are those with severe physical illnesses that will never know what it is like to run up and down a Basketball court. I also know that God can use anybody and uses people who are not even close to "in shape" for His glory. Some of the world's greatest preachers are overweight.

I also want to make it plain that I don't believe the person with sick pack abs is superior to the person whose belly fat laps over his belt. I don't want anyone to be offended by what I'm saying. I'm not in the business of putting people down, I'm in the business of lifting people up.

I am saying that like it or not, our world looks on the outward appearance. They will judge you before you even say "hi". That is just a harsh reality. I was told by one person that people at school would laugh at her for being fat. I'm sure she is not alone. It is a cruel world. As Christians, we should never laugh at someone for their overweight condition. Unfortunately, such ridicule happens and will continue to happen. People can be cruel. 

I push people to get in shape because I want them to experience feeling and looking great! I don't want anyone to pick on them for their weight. I want to help them get in the kind of shape that they can be pleased with and others will compliment. 

Its just the truth. No one ever starts eating poorly, quits exercizing and puts on 75 pounds and says, "Wow! I feel terriffic! I look great in the mirror!"  

Some Christians think it does not matter because this body is going to die eventually anyhow. It will. That is true. However, you can try to create a physical body that will help you die smoothly or you can neglect your body in such a way that will cause complications on the road to death. 

Things to consider:

Do you want to go through unnecessary, preventable surgeries?

Do you want to have major surgeries to major organs?

Do you want loved ones to have a difficult time helping you move around in your senior years?

Once again, I'm not trying to be mean or cruel. I just want you to be able to grow old as gracefully as possible with as few complications as possible.

Having said that, I want to give some helpful things, that I believe can help you get in the best shape of your life.

Rule # 1:

You are what you eat.

What ever you are eating right now, you will be wearing later. 

First, I want to give you a list of healthy things to eat (this is by no means a complete list):

Oatmeal, Eggs, yogart, fruit (only on an empty stomach, it will make you bloated if you eat it at the end of a meal), Grilled chicken, steamed fish (tilipia or salmon), tuna in water, turkey, sweet potatos, spinach, green beans, broccoli, tomatos, lentils, alvacados, unsalted almonds, cabbage, beets, and brown rice. 

Healthy Suppliments (these should go hand in hand with good eating habits):

Multi-vitamins, Protein shakes (pay top dollar for top brand, the cheap stuff is not as good for you. Two brands that I recommend are Isopure and Beverly), Flax Seed Oil, and Glucosamine/Chondrotin/MSM for your joints. 

Where to buy supplements:

You can save money on suplements if you shop around. The most inexpensive health food store that I've found is Capitol Nutrition. They have one of their locations in Schererville, Indiana. Their website is capitolnutrition.net. Products can also be found online. I believe bodybuilding.com is the best priced online resource.

Foods to avoid eating (this by no means is a complete list):

Fast food hamburgers and fries, hot dogs, pizza, potato chips, white bread (it has been said, "the whiter the bread, the sooner you are dead"), white rice, processed meats, fried foods, red meats (takes your body much longer to digest a hamburger or steak than it does for it to digest chicken or fish), sausage, bacon and donuts. Anything that your great, great, great grandparents would look at and say "what is that!" Example: a calizone! That's terribly unhealthy! You've got white bread stuffed in many cases with stuff like sausage or bacon, not to mention grease). 

 

How often should I eat?

 

The more frequently you can eat the better. Each time you eat, your body's metabolism kicks in. Idealy is 4 meals per day. Always eat breakfast. One of those four "meals" can be a protein shake.

 

How much should I eat?

 

This varies from person to person. You do want to eat small portions. Portion sizes in America have gone up dramatically in the past 50 years. You want to avoid "all you can eat buffetts". Most people do not have the self control to choose the right foods or the right portions at the buffett line. 

 

When can I get away with eating simple sugar items or items high in carbs?

 

If you must have couple Pop Tarts or a large bowl of Pasta, do it immediately following an intense workout. If you sit around and eat Pop Tarts, your body will store the Pop Tarts as fat. If you eat Pop Tarts immediately after and extremely intense workout, your body will use the Pop Tarts as energy.

 

If I do not like exercise or can not exercise do to an injury, am I doomed to gain body fat?

 

Not necessarily. If you are an inactive person, it is EXTREMELY important that you eat incredibly healthy! The less calories you burn in a given day means the less calories you should be taking in. For example, at a car dealership, the people washing the cars and preping them for the showroom floor should be taking in more calories than the people pushing papers in the office. You can keep body fat away by carefully watching what and how much you eat. If you had to make a choice between eating junk food and working out consistenly AND eating extremely healthy and not working out, you should choose eating extremely healthy and not working out. However, when you can eat healthy and work out, you will see the greatest benefit! It is a win win! 

WHAT YOU'VE READ SO FAR IS A BEGINNING OF AN ARTICLE AT phil-needler-ministries.com. PLEASE CHECK THIS ARTICLE OCCASSIONALLY FOR FURTHER UPDATES WITH MORE HELPFUL INFORMATION. Remember, YOU are worth it! Start investing in your health and fitness today!