Faith-Full and Fit: The Christian’S Guide to Becoming Spiritually and Physically Fit

By Carla T. Hardy MS CSCS

Have you unsuccessfully tried to lose weight, get healthy, or change your lifestyle? We struggle every day fighting our urges, temptations, and so much more; but often our battles are not physical in nature, but based on a need in our spiritual lives.

Faith-FULL and Fit has the antidote required to change thatwhipping both the spirit and the body into divine shape. This program uses an introspective approach to improving your lifestyle by looking within first, healing the body from the inside out. It teaches you to recognize, focus on, and change the inner, spiritual issues first. Inward cleansing and healing will in turn produce an outward change. You can develop a closer relationship with God and learn to let him lead, while renewing the heart and mind to elicit lasting, healthier decisions.

Faith-FULL and Fit not only provides the physical tools needed to live a healthy lifestyle and maintain it, but also offers biblical and spiritual guidance to help fill the hollowness in the spirit that causes us to seek physical fulfillment. Practical meal plans, fat-burning and inch-shedding workouts, the keys to a fulfilling spiritual life, and much more are included in this handy guide.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9781490889955

Carla T. Hardy MS CSCS

Carla T. Hardy, MS, CSCS, believes that getting healthy starts within and exudes on the outside. She has an MS in exercise physiology and a BSEd in Exercise Sport Science and Health Promotions. And has many years of experience in a variety of health and wellness fields.

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Copyright © 2016 Carla T. Hardy, MS, CSCS.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

WestBow Press

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-8994-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-8996-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-8995-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015920507

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/05/2016

Contents

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1.   Becoming Faith-Full And Fit

Chapter 2.   True Healing

Chapter 3.   Finding And Filling Life’s Voids

GET STARTED!!

Chapter 4   Getting Started

Chapter 5   Taking Steps

Chapter 6   Knowing Your Numbers

Chapter 7   Body Composition

Chapter 8   Setting Goals

NUTRITION: FEED THE SPIRIT INSTEAD

Chapter 9   Nutrition Basics

Chapter 10   Food And Faith

Chapter 11   Establishing Your Rmr

Chapter 12   Counting Calories

Chapter 13   Portion Control

Chapter 14   Feeding The Spirit Instead

Chapter 15   Grocery Shopping

Chapter 16   Understanding Food Labels

Chapter 17   Vegetables

Chapter 18   Fruits

Chapter 19   The Great Whole Grain Debate

Chapter 20   Proteins

Chapter 21   Beverages

Chapter 22   Seasonings And Herbs

Chapter 23   Reducing Your Sodium (Salt) Intake

Chapter 24   Sweeteners

Chapter 25   Cooked To Perfection

Chapter 26   Faithfully Full Eating Tips

FITNESS

Chapter 27   Beginning An Exercise Program

Chapter 28   Fitting Exercise Into Your Daily Routine

Chapter 29   The Workouts

Chapter 30   Stretching And Flexibility

Chapter 31   True Beauty And Happiness

Chapter 32   Losing Weight The Healthy Way

Chapter 33   Don’t Give Up, Have Patience And Perservere

FAITH

Chapter 34   Your Faith-Full And Fit Plan

Chapter 35   Your Health Vs. Your Faith And Troubles

Chapter 36   I Am Faith-Full And Fit

RESOURCES

To my mother—gone but not forgotten. You are the woman I aspire to be and the love that I will always miss. Thank you so much for loving me despite my flaws. Although you are not here physically to read this in person, I know you see.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank all those who had a hand in helping me reach this pivotal point in my journey. Everyone in my life in some way helped mold me and push me to reach further. Whether by your teachings, love, smiles, encouragement or rejections, you are greatly appreciated.

Special thanks to all my family, especially my father, sisters and brother. Thank you to my friends who have supported me throughout my endeavors. To my Pastor, Mark A. Couch and First Lady Ivy Coach, your faith in me has been a guiding light in pushing me further towards my kingdom purpose. To the ladies of Faith for Fitness, thanks so much for allowing me to be a part of your world. Working with you all has been a God-send.

All Scriptures have been taken from the New International Version of the Bible, unless otherwise indicated.

Preface

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Introduction

Nourishing your body . . .

Feeding your Soul . . .

Becoming Faith-Full And Fit

If somebody offered you the keys to add 10 years to your existence, improve your quality of life, well being and spiritual health; would you take them and use them? The knowledge you gain within Faith-FULL and Fit will give you those keys. All you have to do is use them—place them in the lock and turn… .

There is a direct relationship between faith/spirituality and health. God made us with a soul and body and they work together in an amazing way. Faith-FULL and Fit was created to instruct individuals on the basics of fitness, wellness and healthy living based on Christian principles and the Word of God. This book will equip you with the knowledge to become wiser in your nutritional choices, improve your fitness, strengthen your faith and grow closer to God. Many books, fad diets and exercise programs give you the physical tools to get healthy, but most of them do not offer a method to change the way you think, or a means to change your heart and spirit. All of those components combined lead our actions and daily living habits.

Because the soul and body are so closely intertwined, it is nearly impossible to heal the body without healing the soul. They must work together for you to reach full health and happiness. One without the other is simply inadequate. To have a healthy body, we must have a healthy spirit also.

We pray and ask God to help guide us in every other aspect of our lives: family, marriage, fears, sickness, etc. Why not health and fitness?

You do not have, because you do not ask God (James 4:2).

Prayer is key.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you (Jeremiah 29:12)

Pray and ask God for the change in your life you wish to see. Ask for a changed heart and mind, changed actions and habits… And a permanent change at that. To pray is to change, writes Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. This is where all of your life changing commitments should start, with prayer and seeking God. No journey is safe to take without God.

Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

Use the prayers found here in Faith-FULL and Fit or create your own. He is with you through it all.

We struggle every day with fighting our urges, temptations, etc. But many times our battles are not truly physical, but in our spiritual deprivations. However, we use vices of the flesh (food, people, etc.) to fill the voids we are lacking in our spiritual lives.

Faith-FULL and Fit uses an introspective approach to improving your lifestyle where you look within first, healing the body from the inside out. It will teach you to recognize, focus on and change the inner/spiritual issues first. Inward cleansing and healing will in turn produce an outward change. You will develop a closer relationship with God and learn to let him lead, all while renewing your heart and mind to elicit lasting, healthier decisions. This book will not only give you the physical tools you need to live a healthy lifestyle and maintain it, but more importantly, it will also offer you biblical and spiritual guidance to help you fill the hollowness in your spirit that causes you to seek physical fulfillment. What God promises us through prayer, his Word and our faith in him cannot be matched by any worldly remedy.

. . . and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5)

It is my hope that the resources in Faith-FULL and Fit will help you grow knowledgeable about fitness, nutrition and overall wellness. Allow you to put an end to the yo-yo dieting, emotional eating and lack of motivation. As well as impart the means to grow stronger in your faith and in the Word of God.

True Healing

Often, the only true hope for healing from affliction, deliverance from bad habits, and restoration from sin is through divine intervention. If not for God giving us strength,