Sporty: Exercise as a Form of Worship?

Today I had spirit-filled workout session with the trainer. Since the door was opened for spiritual discussions, it has taken our sessions to a different place. At one point I was getting tired and she do this as if you were doing it for Jesus. I thought about that and I did the last few reps like they were the first! To borrow the title from the book I'm reading - the mind is the battlefield! Today we did a lot of things that 6 weeks ago I couldn't do without significant pain i.e. jumping jacks, steps, hopping over a step bench for 15 reps, etc. My trainer said that it was a true testimony how far I had come from my hobbling days!

Anyways, near the end of the session the trainer said something that gave me a reason to pause. She said that since our body is the temple of God taking care of it is critical and that exercise can be a form of worship. Hmmm, like praise or prayer or bible study?

Exercise as a form of worship? What do you think? (see this site)

Sporty: Self-Awareness and Mindfulness Mediations

Here is a Mind/Body Exercise that we can use:

One of the healthy habits we encourage at the Duke Diet & Fitness Center (DFC) is self-awareness or mindfulness — the act of paying attention to what you experience in the moment. Mindfulness can contribute to your overall sense of well-being in many ways, one of the most significant being that it can help to reduce stress.
As part of our self-awareness programming at the DFC, we teach our clients a technique called mindfulness meditation. Developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center's Stress Reduction Clinic, mindfulness meditation is a method of paying attention to the present moment, without letting your mind drift to the past or future or judging your every thought and feeling.
You can practice mindfulness meditation by carving some time out of your day, finding a quiet place where you can be alone, and then turning your attention to your breath or to some other sensation in your body. As thoughts, emotions, or other sensations arise and compete for your attention, you simply observe and acknowledge them without judging, analyzing, or trying to suppress them. Just give the thought or feeling a little bit of space, and eventually it will pass.
This very simple process can prove quite challenging. Most of us have never tried to train our minds to gain mastery over where our attention is from moment to moment. The solution is to practice.
This week, set aside some time to practice mindful meditation. Make a point to focus on what you are experiencing. Let the feelings flow. See what emerges. After a period of regular meditation practice, you may find that it's easier to be mindful in other situations in your daily life. Next week, we'll show you how to be mindful when you are eating.