KEY #5: INCORPORATE WEIGHT RESISTANCE TRAINING INTO YOUR WEEKLY EXERCISE REGIMEN
Strength and resistance training has many great benefits and should be a part of everyone’s weekly exercise routine. Strength training burns calories, increases lean body (muscle) mass, which will increase your metabolism. This means your body is burning more calories all the time, while you’re working out and while you’re at rest. Every pound of muscle gained can increase your daily caloric expenditure by up to 50 calories!
WEIGHT TRAINING STRATEGIES FOR YOUR CHURCH
- Create a resistance class at your church for senior adults. Strength training can help improve bone density, balance and core strength. These benefits are especially beneficial to seniors.
- Childhood obesity is an epidemic in America. Many equipment manufacturers offer youth strength training circuits, with a smaller frame and design specifically for children, which work all the major muscle groups in the body.
- Open an on-campus or off-campus fitness facility. Either way, creating space for fitness is one of the best ways to enhance congregational fellowship, reach out to your community and connect on a spiritual level with the many people trying to address their own personal fitness goals.
Resistance training also improves bone density, reduces resting blood pressure, helps control blood sugar, and improves your balance and coordination which is extremely important in aging gracefully. Many older people will lose both balance and strength as part of the natural aging process, thereby making them more susceptible to falls and broken bones. Weight resistance training can help prevent all of these issues, and even when you do have an accident and take a fall, your bones will be much stronger from all the weight resistance training, and you’ll be less likely to have a broken bone.
Behavior modification can be challenging, but also very rewarding when you adapt to them and make the changes a permanent part of your quest to leading a healthier lifestyle. People will debate how long it takes to enact a permanent lifestyle change. Some say 21 days is all it takes to develop a new habit, or discontinue an old one. While this may be true for some people, I believe it takes closer to eight weeks to turn your new behavior into a permanent, lasting change. Although eight weeks may seem like a long time, 2 months is pretty short in the grand scheme of things.
There are many ways churches can assist members in their congregation with losing some weight. Pastors can lead the way to a healthier church. Pastor Rick Warren at Saddleback Church realized that he needed to lose some weight, and challenged members in his church to join him. Warren, who is famous for his best seller, The Purpose Driven Life, formed the Daniel Plan for Weight Loss. Warren not only lost 65 pounds by exercising and following the Daniel Plan, but 12,000 members of his church lost a combined 250,000 pounds! Churches can also utilize any wasted space by providing group exercise classes, or even putting in a small fitness center. Keep plenty of bottled water on hand for all church activities, and offer healthier snacks such as fruit, walnuts, pretzels, vegetable trays, grilled chicken and green tea, instead of doughnuts, soda pop, potato chips and cookies. Church member support groups are ideal for weight loss programs, too. These groups often meet once a week, and offer support and accountability for everyone in the group wanting to lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle.
This is not just about your quest to lose weight. You’re not the only person in your church concerned about diet, weight and better health. In fact everyone in your church eats food. So everyone can benefit when your church creates a healthier diet emphasis. Remember consistency is the key to lasting change.
Peace, balance, health and happiness,
Rob
CONTACT US for help in developing a church wellness strategy.
Contact Church Fitness Department Editor Rob Killen for a full range of support in developing a church fitness ministry.
