PHYSICAL TRAINING IS GOOD

Physical training is good... –I Timothy 4:8 (NLT)

When it comes to physical training, words such as “sweat, work and pain” or the mantra –“no pain, no glory” easily come to mind. For many people, there’s a certain level of anxiety associated with physical training. Though physical training requires some level of discipline (For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant –Hebrews 11:12), as we’ll see shortly, physical training doesn’t have to be programmed or scheduled; or occur in laid out settings such as a gym, court or stadium. Physical training is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. [1] Simply put, physical training can be incorporated into your daily routine.

There are basically four (4) distinct categories of physical activity –endurance, strength, balance and flexibility. While many are familiar with the endurance (aerobic) activities such as jogging, biking or swimming; and strength activities such as weight lifting; much less is known on how to engage in balance and flexibility activities. Given that each category plays a unique role, it is important to engage in all four (4) types of exercise.

Endurance activities such as swimming, hiking and biking can be done during leisure. If these are activities that you love, then you can be sure that you are ripping the dual benefits of physical and recreational activities at the same. Proverbs 24:5 –a wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might (ESV). Team sports such as basketball, football, volley ball and baseball are also types of endurance sports that are mostly engaged in by young and middle aged groups. In the elderly, physical activities that build endurance could be as simple as dancing and engaging in yard work such as mowing and raking. Endurance exercises have been shown to improve the health of the cardiovascular system and delay or prevent many diseases that are common in older adults such as diabetes, colon and breast cancers and heart disease. [2]

If you’re not the kind of person who regularly visits the gym or can’t afford to do so, strength training can be made a part of your daily routine by engaging in activities that require strength. For example, heavy gardening activities such as digging and shoveling count as muscle strengthening activities. [3] Similarly, there’s a popular method of preparing and serving yam In some African settings, where the mortar and pestle are used to pound chunks of yam that have been softened through pre-boiling. [4] For ladies who still prefer this set of traditional tools made of hard wood to modern pounding machines, this activity can also be considered to be a form of strength training in the comfort of your kitchen! Proverbs 31:17 –She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong (ESV). In the elderly, examples of strength exercise include carrying groceries and gripping objects such as a tennis ball.

Balance and flexibility leads to a greater range of motion, prevention of falls and injury and a reduction in aches and pains. Simple ways to improve balance within the comfort of your home include: standing on one foot, practicing the heal-to-walk and standing from a seated position. Simple ways to improve flexibility on a daily basis include: active sitting which basically means standing up and sitting down at intervals throughout the day; taking the stairs instead of the lift and reaching down to tie your shoelaces, rather than putting your foot on a chair, or a higher level. [5] Hebrews 12:12 –Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees (ESV).

Proverbs 20:29 states that the glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair (ESV). In essence, exercise is key to living longer. If you make physical training a lifestyle at every stage of life, you are guaranteed strength in your youth, a productive life in adulthood and the ability to age gracefully. Amen!

REFERENCE

[1] IGI Global. What is Physical Training?

[2] National Institute on Aging. Four Types of Exercise Can Improve Your Health and Physical Ability

[3] United Kingdom National Health Service

[4] The Centenary Project. Pounded Yam: A Meal of Traditional Pastime

[5] Natasha Hinde. How To Improve Flexibility Day By Day – And Why It's Good For You.