Fit To Be President

With the historic inauguration of Barack Obama as the country’s 44th president and his move into the White House, I am looking forward to see how he will continue his regular fitness routine.

During the presidential campaign, Obama’s aides arranged workouts for him in several dozen states, The Washington Post reports. Once, on July 17 of last year, Obama visited a gym three times within 16 hours, according to the newspaper. He often played pickup basketball games the morning of primary election nights.

Since his election on Nov. 4, Obama worked out regularly at a Chicago luxury apartment complex and even at a military fitness center while on vacation in Hawaii.

In a typical 90-minute workout routine, Obama, 47, devotes half of the workout to weightlifting and the other half to cardiovascular exercises that include a stationary bike, elliptical machine and treadmill, reports The Post. Between his warm-up and cool down, Obama sometimes moves through a dozen different exercises in an hour.

Obama wants to build a full basketball court at the White House and maintain his usual workout routine at least six days a week, according to The Post.

Pastor Steve Reynolds, Author of Bod 4 God Comes to St. Louis

Pastor Steve Reynolds, the author of Bod 4 God made an appearance at Grace Community Church in St. Peters, MO on Jan. 19th.

Pastor Reynolds is the Senior Pastor of the Capital Baptist Church in Annandale, VA and stresses a Losing to Live philosophy and making the most of your health by using the acronym - D.I.E.T.

Dedication - Honoring God With Your Body
Inspiration- Motivating Yourself For Change
Eat & Exercise - Managing Your Habits
Team - Building Your Circle of Support

Bod 4 God is faith based ministry and is backed by interesting scriptures. Pastor Reynolds also noted Jesus was the in great physical condition because He walked from Sidon to Tyre, which would have been a 40-mile trip in one day. (See Matt. 15:21-29).

For more info on Bod 4 God log onto http://www.bod4god.org/

Stair Climbing - A Great Way To Get In Shape

Stair climbing competition is becoming very popular, competitors run up the stairs of some of the tallest buildings and towers in major cities across the country. Stair climbing is a total body workout and burns about twice as many calories than any other sport or activity.

Stair climbing events also test your fitness level. If you think you can master a marathon, if you think you can master the beep test and if you think you can master the push up, sit up and 1/4 mile run test, then I challenge you to Master the Met on March 7, 2009.

Master the Met is a competitive stairclimb to the top of the Metropolitan Square Building in downtown St. Louis. At 42 stories, it is the city's tallest building. Master the Met is a physical challenge. Master the Met is a fundraising event for the American Lung Association.For more info log onto http://www.masterthemet.com/

Get Fit 4 Christ Encourages Faith and Action For Healthy Body and Spirit

As the New Year begins, many people resolve to lose weight and become more spiritual. St. Louis-based personal trainer, Lyle Johnson, sets out to help people make both of these resolutions realities. Johnson motivates people to strengthen their spiritual and physical bodies in his new book, Get Fit 4 Christ. The book empowers people to take charge of their lives and focus themselves through scripture, prayer and action.

“I want to help people make lifestyle changes that will produce long lasting benefits and not just quick fixes,” says Johnson.

Get Fit 4 Christ is a practical roadmap containing inspirational stories, personal testimonials, workout plans and a nutritional guide. Johnson uses the biblical story of David and Goliath to encourage readers throughout the book to conquer the giants in their own lives. The book explains David's CHAMP mindset and how people can develop this same mentality to strengthen their bodies and their connection to God.

"Many people think they don't have time to get in shape," says Johnson, a certified personal trainer. "So, in Get Fit 4 Christ, I designed a 30-minute a day work out plan that anyone can do as well as a 40-Day Body Transformation."

The book is easy to follow and written in two parts. The first part focuses on the CHAMP mindset including spiritual and mental fitness with the second part detailing nutrition and exercise with scriptural support.

Johnson owns the St. Louis-based MVP Fitness. He conducts fitness workshops and runs the popular MVP Boot Camp. In addition to holding a Personal Training Certification from Cooper Institute, Johnson graduated from Grambling State University with a Bachelor of Arts. For more information about Get Fit 4 Christ, log onto www.getfit4christ.com or www.mvpfitness.net.

A Way to Avoid a Heat Attack

Shocking news hit us like a ton of bricks when Gerald Levert, 40, the smooth-voiced R&B singer died Nov. 10 2006 of a heart attack at his home in Newbury, Ohio, outside Cleveland.

During his career as he sold more than 10 million albums, five of which were certified platinum. Five of his songs reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts, and 11 made the Top 20.

Gerald Levert’s presence will be missed; one fan wrote “I 'm already missing you. I have comfort in knowing that you will be blessing my love ones in heaven with that AWESOME voice of yours.....You were one of the greatest singers that will ever walk the face of this earth. I am thankful that I have your CD's (all of them) to continue to lift me up”

Two questions that come to my mind are how somebody so gifted like Gerald Levert could die from a heart attack at such an early age? And what should one do in order to avoid having a heart attack?

A heart attack is when part of the heart muscle is damaged or dies because it isn't getting enough blood from the coronary arteries. Heart attacks usually result from a blockage in the coronary arteries. This blockage is most likely to be caused by a blood clot that forms where an atherosclerotic (pronounced “ath-uh-roe-skluh-rot-ik”) plaque has cracked or ruptured.
Risk factors of a heart attack include diabetes, high cholesterol level, high blood pressure, family history of heart attack, hardening of the arteries, lack of exercise and obesity.

There are many ways to reduce your risk of a heart attack:

1. Stop Smoking. Smoking is one of the major causes of death. Smoking also increases the risk of getting a heart attack. If you are a smoker, you ought to quit now. It is not impossible for you to quit. Many people who are heavy smokers manage to successfully quit. All you need is determination and willpower to pull you through this period of time.

2. Exercise. Before you start, talk to your doctor about the right kind of exercise for you. Try to work up to exercising 4 to 6 times a week for at least 30 minutes each time. Regular exercise will help to strengthen your cardiovascular system and keep your weight under control. It can also lower your blood pressure and reduce your level of LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol that clogs the arteries).

3. Eat right. Follow a healthy diet that is low in sodium (salt) and saturated fat. Don't cook with salt, avoid prepared foods that are high in sodium and don't add salt when you're eating.

4. More importantly, get annual checkup because is worth the effort. Waiting until there is something wrong can be costly in time, treatment and quality of life. Regular medical exams and self exams can detect problems in their earliest stages and keep you on the road to good health.

There are many benefits to implementing these healthy habits into your lifestyle. Among them are living a more healthier life, spending less time and money for doctor visits and hospital stays, and an increase in your fitness level, appearance, confidence and energy.