10 Commandments for Loving My Body

Can you really apply the scriptures to all aspects of your life?  Do the scriptures have anything to say about helping your body be more healthy and fit?  The ancient prophet Nephi says to "liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning"(1Nephi 19:23).  I will be bold in my attempt to liken the scriptures to health and fitness in this instalment of:
Can Scripture Power Help Me Be Healthy?
 
You want the truth?  I struggle with my body image most days.  I have had to train myself to think positive thoughts about what I look like.  "I have lovely ankles."  "My legs are strong."  "My smile lights up a room."  "My eyes are windows to a beautiful soul."  All mantras I repeat to myself.  My saintly husband will tell me I am beautiful; sometimes I believe him but some days I don't.

Why do we allow ourselves to feel this way?  We are all BELOVED spirit children of God.  Yes.  But how do I (you, we) get over it?

I read in the scriptures the other day about Nephi.  I was looking for ways the Lord teaches us about taking care of our bodies, but the Lord took me on a journey that had more to do with learning to love my body FIRST.  I read, "if the children of men keep the commandments of God, He will nourish them and strengthen them." (1 Nephi 17:3)

Wow, I thought, could the God's commandments really help us with strength training?  I decided to test it out on the 10 Commandments.  I was surprised that when I thought about each commandment I immediately recognized how I needed to LOVE my body.

1. Thou Shalt Have No Other God Before Me.  Does God come first in my life?  He is the source of all I have and am.  Do I spend more time maintaining my body (read exercising and stressing about what I look like) or praising God.  To Do: Prioritize God first in my life.

2. Thou Shalt Have No Graven Images. Do I worship other people's bodies instead of God. Do I spend my time worrying about the tee-shirt wrinkles that look like fat roll in a photo? Ouch! Do I idolize the "ideal body" without realizing the beauty in my own body? To Do:  Let go of the "Ideal Body" and love the beauty God created in me.

3. Thou Shalt Not Take The Lord Thy God's Name in Vain.  I have been created in the image of God.  Do I take that for granted and utter slurs against God's own handiwork?  To Do:  Thank my body for the work it does for me on a daily basis.  Speak kindly about God's creation.

A Recipe for Finding Balance

Can you really apply the scriptures to all aspects of your life?  Do the scriptures have anything to say about helping your body be more healthy and fit?  The ancient prophet Nephi says to "liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning"(1Nephi 19:23).  I will be bold in my attempt to liken the scriptures to health and fitness in this instalment of:
Can Scripture Power Help Me Be Healthy?


Have you ever stood in the middle of a teeter-toter and tried to balance one foot on either side of the fulcrum?  It can be hard to find the sweet spot where there is even weight distribution.  It takes a ton of muscle coordination to find balance in uneven terrain.


Years ago I sprained my ankle.  OK, really I have sprained my ankle no less than 6 times, but a few years ago I was training for a marathon and wanted my ankle to heal properly, so I visited my trusty physical therapist Kirk.  (Have you seen a pattern here?  Is Erica injury prone or what?!?)  What did Kirk say I need to improve?
1. Range of motion
2. Stability

I was floored at how many exercises were designed to teach my muscles how to react to and compensate for imbalances and instability in my surroundings.

I learned to stand on one foot and balance for 1 minute.  Then I graduated to standing on a trampoline and balancing on one foot for one minute.  For post-graduate work, Kirk pulled out a bosu ball.  (think half-sphere)  While I immediately thought of all the wonderful push ups and crunches you could do on this contraption, Kirk had me practice simply standing on the ball.

I started out like this cute lady just trying to keep one foot off the ground while still staying on the ball.  Luckily there was a wall nearby to support me.  It seemed like weeks before this became easy.  All the muscles in my feet and body had to constantly react to the feed back my feet were sending them.

Bosu Balanced Squat

I got strong and the muscles in my feet, legs, and core learned how to compensate for stretched out tendons.


Soon I was balancing like a pro.


Finding balance and compensating for life's ups and downs and ever changing terrain can seem down right impossible.  I learned in Physical Therapy that balance was never isolated to one muscle group and could never be achieved with little thought or effort.



I was surprised to find mention of balance in the scriptures.  While this Proverb might have reference to buisness transactions and weights and measures, it can be applicable to us too.

"A false balance is an abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight.....The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his ways, but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness."  (Proverbs 11:1,6, emphasis added)

(I giggled when I read this.  Really Lord?  Just a few verses after talking about being balanced you say that the wicked (morally unbalanced) will fall.  Who says God doesn't have a sense of humour.)

So what is the recipe for balance?

Jesus Christ taught that if you are to embark on a life of serving him, serve with "all your heart, might, mind and strength." (D&C 4:2) If we are to begin any challenge-- even finding balance in life-- we must face it with a full determination, using all our resources, mental capacity, and muscle strength.  It is as simple, complicated, no SIMPLE as that--  Use all of your resources.  Engage all your mental and physical strength and just hold on as long as you can.  Maybe even a full minute.




Another Balance Exercise:
Need to recover from an ankle injury or just become more stable on your feet?  Here is a great exercise.  No Bosu Ball needed.  (you just might want one anyway-- I do at least)  Try this exercise when you can balance on one foot for 30 seconds at a time.


Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Place a cup or another object 1 foot to the right of your right leg.  Raise the left foot off the ground.  While keeping your core engaged (abs tucked in and under, shoulder blades together and  down), squat down (bum goes back- Keep knees over your toes) and reach to your right and try to touch the cup with your left hand.  Don't fall over now!  Use all your resources to keep steady on that foot.

Back & Shoulder Basics

Can you really apply the scriptures to all aspects of your life?  Do the scriptures have anything to say about helping your body be more healthy and fit?  The ancient prophet Nephi says to "liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning"(1Nephi 19:23).  I will be bold in my attempt to liken the scriptures to health and fitness in this installment of:
Can Scripture Power Help Me Be Healthy?

I had a remarkable epiphany this summer and it all came about because of my shoulder injury.  Head-strong me, I separated my shoulder and bruised the heck out of my body on an ill-fated, death-defying zipline run.  After a month of ice and rest I could mostly move my arm around, but I still couldn't lift a gallon of milk.  It was time for physical therapy.

All the exercises at physical therapy focused on making sure I had good posture and that my back was strong.  My therapist taught me that when I engaged the muscles in my back (squeeze the shoulder blades down and together) it took all the pressure off the shoulder joint and gave my arms free range of motion. (I am happy to report that I can now do as many push-ups as I could before the injury:)

Check out how many muscles there are in your back.  We have a ton of muscle tissue to use to support our bodies.  The back muscles are larger and can be stronger than the arms muscles.  I know I fall into the trap in exercise  of focusing on arm work-- getting awesome guns for that amazing flex.  But biceps and triceps and (my) weak joint  can only do so much.  Our back muscles are designed to be strong to support our bodies and our limbs.



Now to the $64,000 question.  What do the scriptures say?  The Book of Mormon tells of a time when a group of people were captured by an enemy and forced into bondage.  In their labor and suffering they prayed to the Lord to deliver them.  The Lord in his wisdom did not immediately remove the burden, but strengthened the people that they could not feel the burdens on their backs.  "Yea the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease." (Mosiah 24:14-15)  I like easy work!

When we rely on the Lord he can strengthen us in ways we could never imagine.  When we rely on our "arm of flesh" to perform our labors (push-ups, pull-ups or any other exercise/work ) we increase our risk of injury and limit our potential.

God designed our bodies.  He knows how to best use them to accomplish his work.  So let the Lord strengthen your back, so your arms can do the work He has for you.

We want good posture for this exercise!

Need a ridiculous Back Exercise?

This exercise will encourage phenomenally good posture.  After mastering this simple exercise, apply the squeeze and push down principle to every activity you do.  You will be surprised how much more power and endurance you will have in your workouts, yard work or even house work.

Wax on!  Wax off

Wall of Hell: (it has this name for a reason)  Grab a towel or two and stand, with feet shoulder width apart, facing a wall.  Extend your arms so they are touching said wall at shoulder hight.  Lean slightly into your hands.  Squeeze your shoulder blades together and press them down your back.  Engage your abs and tuck your hips slightly forward. (This is my therapists definition of good posture.)

Circle the hands first clock wise for 30 seconds then counter clockwise for 30 seconds.  Connect with your inner Karate Kid-- wax on (30 seconds); wax off (30 seconds).
Start small and work up to 6 minutes of continuous circles.  Take a break when your form starts to deteriorate.  This exercise is all about developing good form.