How To Deal With The Inevitable Christmas Weight Gain

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Let’s be honest with each other.  I’ll go first.  I’m a fitness trainer, fitness boot camp leader, fitness speaker, fitness coach, and fitness author of Christ Fit Fusion – The Fusion Of Spiritual And Physical Fitness and I have gained body fat over the Christmas season.  I don’t know how much because I go by the mirror and not the scale, but I can tell I’ve put on a few pounds.  Okay, now it’s your turn.  How much have you gained?  Not “have you?”  “How much?”  Even if you don’t know how many pounds, you know if it’s a little or a lot or somewhere in between.  Unless you are part of a tiny fraction of people, you will gain weight (body fat) during the holidays.

Our “Why” for doing and sharing Christ Fit Fusion is because, “Spiritually and physically you will weather the storms of life and perform much better when the sun shines when you are spiritually and physically fit (Christ Fit).”  For most, the holiday season is a storm when it comes to all the food around. From Thanksgiving through Christmas there is a plethora of parties, pies, cookies, and general overeating.  So what to do about it?

Honestly, it’s too late to do anything about this year unless you’ve already been proactive going into it.  It is what it is.  New Year’s Eve is right around the corner and most likely many of you reading this are already contemplating your New Year’s Resolutions.  Please stop. Have you ever stuck with a N.Y.R.?  Less than 10% ever do.

Your only resolution should be to live a life that produces positive results, both spiritually and physically.  When your goal is lifestyle you don’t have to have any other goals.  Living a “Christ Fit” lifestyle will help you fade the heat of the holidays and any other spiritual or physical storm you encounter.

Let me be your example.  Yes, I’m a fitness trainer and yes I’m in shape, but I’m not your typical hyper focused “check out my abs” fitness trainer. I’m in shape but I live in the real world and love real food including burgers, fries, and Cokes and even the Christmas cookies this time of year. However, I don’t eat like I’ve been eating lately all year round.  There’s lots of good food to eat during the holidays but there’s also plenty of sugar and fattening snacks and deserts as well.  I partake and I gain a little weight.  I don’t sweat it.  I train year round and eat well year round as well.  I have my cheat moments throughout the year but for the most part my “Dominant Characteristics” are healthy.  By living that way I can weather the holiday storm much better than if I eat like crap more than I should day in and day out.  I don’t have to worry about trying to lose weight after the holidays because my normal way of living and eating will naturally cause me to lose whatever body fat I’ve gained.

There is a whole list of spiritual and physical storms that we face during the course of our lives.  Spiritually we face personal spiritual battles and struggles.  For some it’s addiction, gossip, materialism, relationships, divorce, rebellious kids, the death of a loved one… and you can fill in your own blank.  Physically our storms can be anything from an injury, disease, flu, and again you can fill in your own blank.

Here’s the thing about storms.  Some are little showers and some are flat out frog stranglers.  Storms come in varying degrees of severity.  No matter what though, being Christ Fit allows me to weather any storm better than if I were not Christ Fit.  So whether it be a sprained ankle, a broken bone, a little weight gain, or a major spiritual attack I am ready.

So back to the title of this blog post, “How To Deal With The Inevitable Christmas Weight Gain.”  Don’t make any harsh resolutions.  Don’t get on some unsustainable “diet.”  Just start living right.  If you do you will naturally get into better shape and by this time next year you will be weathering this storm much better and gaining less body fat and loosing what you do gain much much faster.

It’s truly as simple as that.  Simple doesn’t mean easy.  It will definitely require discipline, sweat equity, accountability and some “sticktoitiveness” but the process is not complicated.

All you have to do is 1). Eat a healthy spiritually and physical diet 2). Exercise spiritually and physically and 3). Do them both consistently. That is the Christ Fit Fusion lifestyle and we’re happy to help you with the process if you want it.  Get your copy of Christ Fit Fusion – The Fusion Of Spiritual And Physical Fitness to get started.  If you’re in San Antonio we encourage you to get involved in one of our Christ Fit Fusion boot camps or personal training.  If you are not in the San Antonio area you are encouraged to contact us about our online training and coaching.

God bless you and get in touch if we can help in any way.  Even if you just want to be placed on our prayer list you are more than welcome to get in touch.  We look forward to hearing from you and working with you and hopefully you will be blessed from our blog posts and the Christ Fit Fusion journal.

http://www.ChristFitFusion.FIT  –  www.facebook.com/ChrsitFitFusion  –  www.Twitter.com/ChristFitMe  –  Instagram (ChristFitFusion)

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HOW BOUT DEM COWBOYS – SHAKE IT OFF

It’s easy to be a fan, but it’s hard to be a follower sometimes.  I’ve loved and rooted for the Dallas Cowboys since I was old enough to know what football was.   It was before the Dead Sea got sick and Roger Staubach was still quarterback.   Today they lost to the Packers and with it the chance to play for the NFC Championship.   There was a questionable call by the refs regarding a crucial catch (or the lack thereof) by Dez Bryant, but I certainly won’t blame the loss on it or go much further into it than that.
Hey team.  News Flash.  We don’t win them all and sometimes it truly isn’t fair.  The game of life we play if full of disappointments.  Not always, but full nonetheless.
During a game in any given sport there are things that can potentially shake an athlete up.  It goes the same on life’s playing field.  We miss.  We drop.  We choke in any number of ways.  Sometimes things happen outside of our control.  Fair or not other people around us make decisions that affect us and challenge us.  The clock keeps ticking and trying harder doesn’t always help.
When a choke or a bad call happens it can shake up a player and possibly an entire team.    There’s an expression that coaches use a lot.  “Shake it off.”  If a player is focused on a choke moment or a bad call he can’t well focus on the next play.  Can you shake it off?  Can you be patient and way for the game to develop?  Can you move on and go back to training for the next season that is months away.   I hope so.  Don’t live in the past.  Focus on the hope of the future.
In Christ we have hope and in Christ we can “shake it off.”  Keep doing the next right thing.  Eat a healthy spiritual and physical diet.  Exercise and train spiritually and physically.  Do them both consistently.  It will be ok.

BLOGGING 101: WHO I AM AND WHY I’M HERE

cropped-cf-boot-camp-1.jpgChrist Fit 4Christ Fit 1Rusty Head ShotRusty Nokes here.  I hope everyone out there is doing great today.  I am the author of the 31 Day Journal, Christ Fit – The Fusion of Spiritual & Physical Fitness.  I have a few reasons for blogging and joining this 101 class.  I have been posting for about a year now but still have a lot to learn in terms of aesthetic presentation and casting a broader net to reach more people so that is reason number one.  I have a divinely inspired message to share and I want to share it with as many people as I possibly can.  My last primary reason for being here is that I want to network (find editing and publishing) and promote the sale of my journal.

I am a personal trainer and I lead local boot camp classes here in San Antonio, Tx.  As mentioned, I have also written a 31 day journal.  The journal is part of my boot camp classes but it stands alone and can be used by anyone anywhere, by themselves or with a friend.

The fact is that we have a problem in the church.  That problem is that we are human and because of that we are flawed.  I do not judge anyone inside or outside the church, but I do shed light on a particular area of stewardship simply because I am wired and geared towards fitness.   Sermons about substance abuse, promiscuity, anger, giving, stewardship etc are prevalent.  What about stewardship of our bodies, which if you are a believer is the temple of God’s Holy Spirit.  It’s easy to laugh off and joke about our pot bellies and double chins as we fellowship around a table of deserts at a potluck, but honestly it is just another form of abuse, it is out of hand, not taken seriously and needs addressed just like any other issue we face.  We’ll never be perfect here on earth, but that’s no reason to not take decent care of the bodies we have been blessed with.  I don’t attempt to make hard bodies, but rather lead people to a lifestyle that will produce a spiritually and physically fit body.

Studies have shown that fundamental Christians are by far the heaviest of all religious groups.  They have demonstrated that young adults who attend church or a Bible study once a week are 50% more likely to be obese.  The stats go on and on.

I have written Christ Fit based on three key principles:  1).  Eat a Healthy Spiritual and Physical Diet.  2).  Exercise Spiritually and Physically and 3).  Do Them Both Consistently.   Simple.  Challenging.  Effective.  Live the right lifestyle and the results will take care of themselves.

The journal is written using analogies to correlate physical and spiritual fitness.  A quick example for you…  If I told you to eat one meal a week would you think that is good advise as a nutrition plan?  Of course not.  We need to “graze.”  Most “religious” people however, get one spiritual meal per week (if that) via a Sunday morning service.  That is spiritual starvation.   The fact is life is a full contact sport.  We are going to get hit.  Divorce happens, we get sick, our loved ones die, we lose our jobs.  We weather the spiritual and physical storms of life when we are Christ Fit.  We also soar much higher on the updrafts of life when we are spiritually and physically fit.

That’s pretty much me and Christ Fit in a nutshell.  I look forward to meeting some of you through this venue and I certainly welcome input, constructive criticism, and advise.

FOLLOWING GOD INTO FAILURE. WOULD YOU DO IT?

FOLLOWING GOD INTO FAILURE. WOULD YOU DO IT?.

FOLLOWING GOD INTO FAILURE.  WOULD YOU DO IT?

 
Will you continue obeying God when you obey Him and He allows you to fail?
In Judges chapter 20 there is a story about the Israelites going to war with the tribe of Benjamin.  The back story is in chapter 19 when a Levite and his concubine find themselves in the house of an old man in Gibeah, a Benjamite city.  Some bad dudes wanting to have sex with the Levite man have surrounded the house and are calling for the owner of the house to send him out.  Long story short, the Levite shoves the concubine out the door and the gang rapes her to death.  The Levite later tells a skewed version of the story to the Israelite nation and it makes me wonder if the following war has something to do with his actions of being a coward and giving up his woman, taking her as a concubine in the first place, or is it actually due to the evil actions of the thugs in Gibeah where the atrocity took place.   Either way there is consequence to sin and consequences can be a female dog.
I’m sure a Biblical scholar can give great commentary, but sometimes I am left with more questions than answers and that’s ok with me.  Frustrating at times, but ok.  I trust God, His sovereignty and His wisdom in every circumstance.  Even when I don’t understand I can be at peace with His will.  If you believe that then I’ve got some ocean front property in Arizona I’d like to sell you.  Sure I wonder sometimes.  Don’t you.  In the grand scheme of things I acknowledge God is in control and working everything out for good and His glory, but at the same time I can fight the urge to second guess my circumstances and why they are what they are.
Israel consults with God twice about going to battle with the tribe of Benjamin and twice God tells them to attack.  Twice, they get defeated before finally tasting victory on the third strike.  Imagine the confusion, doubt, frustration, and possibly anger with God through the defeats.  I can hear them now, “God, didn’t you tell us to attack?”  “God, if we’re consulting you and obeying you then why aren’t things working out for us?  Why are we getting our donkeys kicked?”  “Hey brothers, are we sure we’re hearing God right?  Maybe we’re only thinking we’re hearing His voice.  Maybe we should cut our losses and quit while we’re ahead.”
How many personal battles (spiritual and physical) have you fought and lost, believing in your heart that God was guiding you?  Knowing in your heart that He was guiding you.  Or was He?  Of course He was.  Now I’m not sure again….Did you doubt Him in your defeats?   Don’t forget God is patient and outside of time.  How patient must we be to forgive 70 times 7?   That can take a long time…
I’m obeying you, God.  Why does my job stink so bad.  I’m obeying you, God.  Why is this relationship in the ditch?  What won’t my business take off?  Why did you lead me to write this book if it isn’t even going to sell?  Why can’t I stop picking my nose?  I’ve stopped before when you’ve told me to, but somehow I just can’t stay stopped.
Never ever give up and don’t stop obeying.  You don’t know what’s going to happen next.  You may get your donkey kicked twice (or more) and wonder why in the “h” “e” double toothpicks God is not giving you victory.  You can’t see that He already has because you can’t see past your present circumstances.  You can’t see that moment in time when you do kick butt and you never will see it if you give up now.
So tie a not at the end of your rope and hang on.  Don’t give up.  Consult with God and obey and know with confidence that the victory is already won and by all means do NOT take yourself out of the fight.
Eat a Healthy Spiritual and Physical Diet.  Exercise Spiritually and Physically.  Do Them Both Consistently.  If you live the right lifestyle the results will take care of themselves.  Simple.  Challenging.  Effective.  I am urging you to order your copy of the 31 Day Christ Fit Journal (www.christfitfusion.com)  and start your Christ Fit journey immediately.  I know that God inspired me to write it and I know that it will challenge and inspire you to become Spiritually and Physically fit (Christ Fit)!
Twitter  @ChristFitMe