“She thought, ‘If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.’” –Matthew 9:21

Read: Matthew 21

She did what a suffering Job couldn’t. Jacob, David — them, too. Run through the bible and find as many people as possible who hurt physically, and one woman did exactly what each of them would have done in an instant. Having suffered for years with an issue that condemned her as an unwanted and unclean outcast, doctors couldn’t heal her and family disowned her. She was out of choices, so she got up. She mustered strength of heart and elbowed her way through the crowd. She said to herself, “If I can just touch the hem of his garment.” Now, the bible says many people were pressing against Jesus when He asked, “Who touched me?” (Mark 5:30)

Maybe you can relate. Are you hurting physically? Perhaps you’ve been dealing with pain unknown to most, but like the woman in our story, something has privately clouded your life. Or maybe you’re apparently healthy and able, and yet you’ve willfully and knowingly neglected your body as a fearfully woven gift. Whoever you are and whatever your needs, make no mistake…Jesus knows your hurt and your heart. There’s no pain or scar He won’t understand, so bring it all. And remember, while many people actually touched Jesus on the road that day, only one truly reached.

–Jimmy Peña

STUDY: EXERCISE ACUTELY IMPAIRS COGNITIVE FUNCTION
You may want to do those TPS reports before your next tough workout

How well do you recall things or process complicated problems immediately after exercise? If you just finished a workout, then maybe you need to read that sentence again. We’ll wait…

If you really think about it, and are honest with yourself, you likely have more difficulty focusing on anything more complicated than mixing your protein shake. A new study shows that those who took cognitive function tests immediately after a workout had significantly slower response times than a group that rested.

>> Click here for the study abstract.

“Research shows that exercise can boost brain power over the long haul,” says Jim Stoppani, PhD, co-author of “PrayFit: Your Guide to a Healthy Body and a Stronger Faith in 28 Days.” “However, the immediate effects of exercise may have detrimental effects on your brain function, as this new study shows. So for the students who train, either train after your tests or give yourself a few hours between your workout and your tests to prevent the fatigue of the workout from impairing your performance on the test.”

“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back.”
—Mark 13:35

Read: Mark 13

My wife Wendy and I live in a house of toddlers which means that at any given moment, our little home can look like hurricane-force winds blew through, tossing about everything that isn’t nailed down. Toys are scattered, clothes are strewn over the furniture and…is that string cheese ground into our rug? We try, sometimes to no avail, to keep up with our cyclical mess.

However, once I get word that my mother-in-law is coming to visit, a new side of me emerges — an unrelenting, super-cleaning alter ego that is intent on spot-shining the house into model-home glory. You see, not only did she and my father-in-law help us buy this place, but Ethelmarie keeps a pretty tidy house. And while she may not be bothered by the mountainous pile of juice cups in my sink, I still don’t want her to see them. So my inner Mr. Clean — the one that speedily washes fingerprints from windows and mops floors – really only comes out when I know she’s stopping by. And while her visits are usually announced, we love that she will occasionally just pop in. As a result, Wendy and I are now doing our best to keep the house Ethel-ready at all times, managing the maelstrom in small, daily increments (as much as Mya and Ella will allow, that is.)

We all have houses to keep — both brick-and-mortar and flesh-and-blood — that can benefit from daily attention. And you never really know when company’s coming.

Lord, we are so grateful for the bodies that house our souls and do not take lightly that we were made in your image. Please help us find the daily motivation to be faithful stewards of the physical gifts we’ve been given. Amen.

–Eric Velazquez

HEALTH, ON THE SIDE
Side dishes are supposed to be an accompaniment, but many favorites can jam in more calories than you want for an entire meal. Lighten up your plate with these healthy (but still delicious) substitutions.

Instead of: French fries
Choose: Oven-baked fries
The Payoff: At least 30 percent less fat

Instead of: Mac and Cheese
Choose: Rice Pilaf or 5-Ingredient Cheesy Rice
The Payoff: A healthy reduction in fat, cholesterol and calories.

(If it’s mac and cheese or bust, try our tips for lightening up your favorite recipe.)

Instead of: Mashed potatoes
Choose: A baked sweet potato or sweet potato oven fries
The Payoff: Half the calories and piles of vitamin A

Instead of: Butter-drenched vegetables
Choose: Roasted seasonal veggies
The Payoff: Big flavor for a fraction of the fat and calories

Instead of: Creamy salad dressing
Choose: Vinaigrette
The Payoff: Healthier fats and 40 calories less per tablespoon

Dana Angelo White, MS, RD, ATC, is a registered dietitian, certified athletic trainer and owner of Dana White Nutrition, Inc., which specializes in culinary and sports nutrition.

“In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider God has made the one as well as the other.” —Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

Read: Ecclesiastes 7

On the treadmill to my right, walked a man maybe 80 years old; on the one to my left, a teenager with a disability. The three of us huffed and puffed, each with a window overlooking a busy intersection — sort of a fitness fishbowl, if you will. Each stoplight ushered in a new array of commuters and though every once in a while we’d capture the attention of a driver or two, one vehicle in particular caught mine.

But first, isn’t it interesting that you really don’t know what motivates someone? Some things you just can’t see. You can only see the result. Oh sure, while the dashboard on my treadmill might give me distance, it doesn’t know what it took to get me that far. Pastor Chuck Swindoll wrote, “Although this journey along the avenue of affliction is unpleasant and unappealing, it is inevitable. Working through the hurt is essential if we hope to become effective for God.”

To be effective for God. Isn’t that the goal both physically and spiritually? And since we know that nothing hits us without Him allowing it, it’s a compliment that He believes we can work through the hurt. Or better yet, we’re never in pain alone. So as I stepped in between the two bookends of life on my left and right, it was a comfort to know the steps God took to see me through mine. (Lord only knows what was inside their hearts-the history, the pain, the drive,- but whatever it was, they walked).

And oh yes, I almost forgot. The car that got my attention? An Official Vehicle of the Department of Aging. Somehow, the three of us “vehicles” could easily relate. Wow. Can’t you just hear the applause of Heaven? Listen closely, take courage and keep going. Because thankfully, the road we’re on as believers? It’s an incline.

–Jimmy Peña

CARBS: CHOOSE WISELY

While PrayFit isn’t completely against low-carb dieting, we stress the importance of choosing the proper types of carbohydrates to fuel your training and other daily activities. Carbs are, after all, the body’s preferred fuel source, so extended or extreme deprivation can backfire for dieters as well as the companies that stake their futures on no-carb schemes. Case in point…

“The low-carb diet craze reached its peak in 2004, with far fewer people following diets like Atkins and South Beach in subsequent years,” according to John Robbins, author of Healthy at 100: The Scientifically Proven Secrets of the World’s Healthiest and Longest-Lived Peoples. ”On August 1, 2005, Atkins Nutritionals, Inc., filed for bancruptcy court protection.”

Remember, the key is to control refined sugar, not to overly restrict healthy complex carbohydrates. Refined sugars, such as those found in sugary drinks, white bread and candy, digest quickly and spike insulin levels, which can cause the body to store fat. Complex carbs, such as those found in whole grain foods, fruits and vegetables, digest more slowly and provide sustained streams of fuel to cells.

Source: Healthy at 100 by John Robbins

“The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” –John 11:25

Read: John 11

If anyone had the right to claim credit for the phrase “Today is the first day of the rest of my life” it was Lazarus. Four days gone. Entombed. Lazarus was dead. Then he wasn’t. If any day felt like the first to him, this was the one. But it took a funeral to make him feel alive.

You and I are no different. Well, we don’t cheat graves, but we are called to die each day…to ourselves. But we can’t talk about death without including every aspect of life. Our minds: how we think. Our motives: selfish and proud. And our bodies: how we nourish His temple on earth. If we strive to be obedient in everything including, say, our approach to food, we live better. Conquering our daily life of health requires a daily death of self.

It’s tough to live in a grave. Just ask Lazarus. His best day was his first day, and so is yours. And it begins at a funeral.

–Jimmy Peña

THE IMPORTANCE OF “PRAY” IN PRAYFIT
Research reinforcing the connection between physical and spiritual health

The name “PrayFit” isn’t an accident. We believe that a deeper connection with the Lord — which is achieved through daily reading, prayer and fellowship — is central to your ongoing quest for a healthier body. A recent story lends credence — actual lab-coat-and-bar-graphs kinda credence — to this fundamental truth.

A study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that individuals who prayed daily were 40 percent less likely to have high blood pressure than those who didn’t pray regularly. And a 2011 study of inner city youth with asthma found that those with regular prayer lives exhibited fewer and less severe symptoms.

But the floodgate of research showing the correlation of spiritual and physical health doesn’t stop there. Read the full story from the Huffington Post by clicking the link below.

>> HUFF POST: Why People Who Pray Are Healthier Than Those Who Don’t

PRAY: Click here to pray with and for other members of the PrayFit community!

HOT TOPIC: Does God call us to be fit? What’s your take?

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” – Ephesians 2:8

Read: Ephesians 2

I’m not the first writer to see heaven in a graduation and I definitely won’t be the last. But sitting in the bleachers this weekend, waiting for the love of my life to stroll across that stage, I just couldn’t help it. As the band played a few sour notes and the crowd fanned their glistening brows, the keynote speaker talked about all the reasons the graduates deserved the stage. The homework, the term papers, the finals. All tough, all taken, all passed. Tired and weary, all that was left to do was receive their prize.

At first it seems like a simple analogy. You did the work, you get the reward. But if Heaven were based on our ability to pass every test, there would be no thrilling cheers, no tossing tassels, no celebration. When Loretta fulfilled her course requirements last semester, she couldn’t wait for the big day to arrive. Jesus fulfilled our course requirement when He walked the hill of Calvary and paid our sin debt. Now, we don’t know when the day will come, but by His grace through faith alone, you and I will someday walk across the stage and receive a prize we didn’t earn. With all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto — tired and weary — we’ll graduate with honors…His.

P.S. As she promised, Loretta tried to walk slowly across the stage to soak it all in. She wanted it to last forever. Yeah, somehow I think God loves a good graduation. “Just wait,” I bet He’s saying. “Just wait.”

–Jimmy Peña

WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: PUSH-UPS
Double your total on this foundation exercise in just a week

There’s a reason that push-ups are included in fitness tests the world over: they work. Forcing your chest, shoulders and triceps to work in concert helps develop tremendous pushing strength, which translates over to a number of functions covering everything up to and including hand-to-hand combat (a handy skill for today’s homeland defenders).

No matter how many push-ups you can complete, no matter your skill level, you can improve on that total drastically in a week’s time by using this simple but effective workout. Try the following low-volume workout, each day, and track your progress online in your own PrayFit Workout Journal. Not yet a member? Click here to register.

>> Click here to learn how to increase your push-up max!

“And he withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed.” –Luke 5:16

The understatement of the year would be to say that we at PrayFit.com have been blessed. Your faithfulness, encouragement and prayers have overwhelmed us. We’ve just completed a major PrayFit endeavor with our new friends, Grammy and Dove Award Winning Point of Grace and Cleveland’s 95.5 The Fish, and we want to publicly give the Lord all the glory. We thank Him for who He is, for what He’s done, for what He’s doing right now, and for what He will do in the weeks and months ahead.

With that promise, we’re going to follow His lead into our own wilderness for a time of prayer, rejuvenation and rest. The next PrayFit entry will be Monday, May 14th. We hope you have an awesome week, maybe catching  a few baseball games, while staying true to your workouts and quiet times. (Okay, Okay, ballgames optional…I guess.)

Blessings to everyone.

Team PrayFit

I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.” –1 Corinthians 9:27

Read: 1 Corinthians 9

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Charles Stanley with In Touch Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia. He delivered a message entitled, “Discipline Determines Destiny.” Of course, he made it clear that he wasn’t talking about eternal destiny, but that he wanted to discuss our earthly effectiveness; how we handle our money, our time, our relationships and ohhhh yes, while I was at the edge of my seat, he said it…”how we handle our health.”

None of the other topics received much of a reaction (perhaps because they were expected), but when he asked the question, “Who wants to live a long, healthy life?”, there was a noticeable murmur. When it became quiet, Dr. Stanley simply asked his congregation how they expected to live abundantly when they’re facing avoidable and preventable road blocks of health. Hearing it from me is one thing, but when Dr. Charles Stanley says it, it’s another thing altogether.

As he preached, I scribbled. He used words and phrases like,

The value we place on our health will be evident in our diligence…
Fulfilling, achieving, orderly, less stressful…
Aimless and lethargic versus Godly and confident…
Feeling good about yourself… 
Nothing to do with age…
He still has the best in mind for you…
Positive impact on others…health can be a way to witness…
Build better health and a better faith…

Folks, go ahead and quiet the murmur in your mind and settle your thoughts on this one: Your health is important to God. Any personal justification you’ve otherwise convinced yourself with, is false. The call to action this week is a call of discipline. And it doesn’t matter what you decide to do.  Just decide and work within your means. Walk the block or the dog. Do some push-ups or lift some weights. Walk away from the dessert menu and step up to the plate of clean eating. Discipline determines destiny, and if you’re reading this, yours is still unwritten.

–Jimmy Peña

Peña to co-headline Mother’s Day Celebration with Grammy winning trio Point of Grace

This Saturday (May 5), PrayFit Founder Jimmy Peña will join Grammy and Dove Award Winning sensation Point of Grace at the Mom’s Squad Mother’s Day Celebration in Ohio, hosted by Cleveland’s 95.5 THE FISH.

“It’s such a blessing to be included in such an important event, to be speaking to so many influential women and to be sharing the day with the amazing women of Point of Grace!” Peña says.

>> For the full event lineup, list of sponsors or info on attending, click here.

Do you want Jimmy and the PrayFit team to come to your church or business to share his motivational story of health as a means of praise? Using biblical characters and motivational scenarios, Jimmy will help motivate and inspire you and your congregation to view health differently than ever before. E-mail us at info@prayfit.com for more details!

This Saturday (May 5), PrayFit Founder Jimmy Peña will join Grammy and Dove Award Winning sensation Point of Grace at the Mom’s Squad Mother’s Day Celebration in Ohio, hosted by Cleveland’s 95.5 THE FISH.

“It’s such a blessing to be included in such an important event, to be speaking to so many influential women and to be sharing the day with the amazing women of Point of Grace!” Peña says.

>> For the full event lineup, list of sponsors or info on attending, click here.

Do you want Jimmy and the PrayFit team to come to your church or business to share his motivational story of health as a means of praise? Using biblical characters and motivational scenarios, Jimmy will help motivate and inspire you and your congregation to view health differently than ever before. E-mail us at info@prayfit.com for more details!

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” –Luke 10:41-42

Read: Luke 10

When I was 19 years old, my college buddies and I would base the week’s success on how well we did in the squat rack. “Leg Day” was the focal point of our week, around which everything else rotated. Well one day, someone among us — someone bigger and stronger — put leg day on Sunday.

I’ll never forget the feeling I had in our campus cafeteria. I sat there drenched in my old sweatshirt with traces of chalk from the gym still on my hands, when a group of students fresh from church joined us at our table. Having spent practically every Sunday in church since the 8th grade, I knew something was “off” for me. My legs might have been growing, but my heart wasn’t. I determined at that point that if I didn’t get my training done in six days, it wouldn’t get done in seven. I couldn’t help it. Someone bigger and stronger had set my schedule. And for the rest of my college days and for 20 years since, I haven’t trained on Sunday.

Friends, I’m not suggesting you never train on Sundays, but I am saying to make sure that you rest. Renew your mind, your heart and your body. Let all three heal, repair and grow. It might mean a sacrifice. It might mean surrendering the dearest things in life. But He’s honored by what we’re willing to lay down.

–Jimmy Peña

RECOVERY, RELOADED
Protein blend best for post-workout repair, study says

If you’re not having some protein immediately post-workout, you should be. Providing your body with an influx of amino acids right after training helps you to optimally rebuild muscle to come back stronger for your next session. And while fast-digesting whey protein gets most of the attention, casein and soy are an important part of the recovery process.

Jim Stoppani, PhD, co-author of “PrayFit: Your Guide to a Stronger Faith and Healthy Body in 28 Days” has long advocated a blend of the these three proteins post-workout and a new study is lending credence to that position.

At the Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego this week, Blake Rasmussen, PhD, of the University of Texas Medical Branch, presented findings that show a blend of protein sources — 50 percent casein, 25 percent whey, 25 percent soy — was superior to whey alone for prolonging muscle building and recovery after exercise.

“Whey protein has been given considerable notice as the gold standard ingredient after exercise to enhance muscle growth,” Rasmussen said. “The main problem with whey is it’s fast digesting—the anabolic response in muscle is only about an hour. We wanted to prolong the anabolic response with other protein sources. We found muscle protein synthesis is elevated for a longer amount of time with a protein blend versus whey protein.”

>> For the full story, click here.

PrayFit joins MercyMe, Phillips Craig & Dean and many more Christian artists and authors in HeavenUp.com, a new faith-based social networking site. HeavenUp, which is being called a “virtual fellowship” will also feature devotionals from the PrayFit team.

>> For the full story, click here.

>> Start your own account and friend PrayFit by registering here!

>> CLICK HERE TO VISIT PRAYFIT’S HEAVENUP.COM PROFILE!