Fit Tip Friday #75

📃Announcement 

Welcome to this week's Fit Tip Friday.Housekeeping items, I officially closed my Instagram account and switched over to X (ex-Twitter). --> Link to my X ProfileWhile I will post occasionally, my main goal over the next few quarters with X is to start connecting and learning from others on the platform.If you're on X, let me know any good accounts you'd recommend me following. And, if you're on X, consider giving me a follow.  

📃 Your Body as a System

As a Christian, you are probably familiar with Paul's analogy of the church as a body in 1 Corinthians 12.His main point is that the church, like the human body, functions as a system.The human body is a collective of unified parts. It's a ball of thread that's made up of one piece. When you pull on one part, you'll eventually pull on all of it. When we regularly move, we benefit our entire body. But when we hardly move, we damage our entire body. Let me illustrate this point to you by talking about the most basic movement you can possibly do: walking. 

📃 You Need to Walk More

I've always had a sedentary job.My physical duties for my job involve shuffling proverbial papers, using my mouth to talk, and using my fingers to type or write things down.So if you have a job like me, you probably sit for most of the day.In fact, if you're like most Americans, you sit for at least 6.5 to 8 hours each day.  And what does sitting this long do for your health? This has been studied extensively.

• Increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat, and unhealthy cholesterol levels (link)

• Tight hips, hamstrings, stiff joints and lower back pain (link)

• Increased risk for anxiety, depression, and lung/uterine/colon cancer (link)

Something as simple as sitting all day has the ability to impact every area of your health. Your body is a system. 

When we regularly move, we benefit our entire body. 

But when we hardly move, we damage our entire body.The solution for extended sitting is as simple as it can get. 

Walk more. 

Walk in the morning before work. Take a lunch break and go for a walk. Go on family walks after work. Buy a standing desk. Start counting your steps. Start small, but just start with something. Don't neglect the incredible gift of your body that God has given you. 

📃Links & Resources 

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📃Exercise is 1.5x more effective than drugs for depression and anxietyThis is an interesting read. There was a study done that found that physical activity is 1.5x more effective at reducing mild-to-moderate symptoms of depression, psychological stress, and anxiety than medication or cognitive behavior therapy.Here are some of the other findings:

• All forms of exercise produced significant mental health benefits

• Shorter, high intensity exercise programs produced the greatest effective

• Exercise provided the greatest mental health benefit to people with depression, or who had been diagnosed with HIV and kidney disease, pregnant and postpartum women, and otherwise healthy adults

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📃Recommended Home Gym EquipmentAs always, this is my recommended list of home gym equipment. These are affiliate links. 1a. Kettlebell Kings - The Quality Purchase1b. Lifeline Kettlebell - The Budget Purchase2. Pull-Up Bar3. Headphones 4. An Ab Roller5. Exercise Mat6. A Jump Rope7. A Watch Pedometer8. SafeRingz - A Silicone Wedding BandThese are affiliate links, and as an Amazon associate I earn on qualifying purchases. But these are all equipment that I have personally used or highly recommend!

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