Scripture to Memorize
She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
Proverbs 31:16–17
Passage to Read
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:1–2
Guided Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for your mercy. Jesus, I stand amazed that you would endure the cross, scorning its shame, just to open the gates of heaven to me. You offered the ultimate sacrifice. No sacrifice I might make in return could even compare, yet I choose to offer my body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to you. It’s my way of worshiping you. I confess my natural tendency is to conform to the pattern of this world. It’s a constant temptation to go with the flow and follow the crowd down the path to self-destruction.
Holy Spirit, transform me as I renew my mind with the Word of God. I hear you challenging me to put your Word to the test, to discover for myself how much better life can be when I live it your way. I want to experience not just your good and pleasing will—but your perfect will for my life. This can happen only when I offer my body as a living sacrifice. Here I am, Lord. Take me. I’m yours. Amen.
Personal
The Proverbs 31 woman was probably able to remain vigorous and strong simply by going about the daily tasks of life. However, in today’s modern world filled with conveniences like cars, escalators, washing machines, dishwashers, and the like, we don’t automatically have enough exercise. We need a strategy to stay fit.
If you are a gym rat or an aerobics nut or if you already have some other fitness routine that works for you, today is your day off. Go volunteer at a soup kitchen or something! For the rest of us mere mortals, I’ve discovered the fastest, simplest way to get a total body workout: rebounding.
Rebounding is a fancy word for jumping lightly on a mini-trampoline. It’s quick, powerful, efficient, and effective. According to Albert Carter, founder of the American Institute of Reboundology, rebounding “is like doing push-ups with every cell in the body all at once. All other strength exercises are designed to strengthen only the muscles and generally only one group at a time. While strengthening muscles is necessary, it is also important to have strong bones, connective tissue and strong vital organs. Rebounding strengthens the whole body, cell by cell.”6
For me, as a middle-aged woman, the greatest benefit is that rebounding reduces cellulite, something no amount of walking will accomplish. The up-and-down motion of rebounding stimulates the lymphatic system, promoting more efficient cell-cleansing processes. This explains why pockets of cellulite (notice the word cell) begin to dissipate, even though they’ve remained impervious to other forms of exercise.
A healthy lymphatic system is absolutely essential. It’s responsible for eliminating toxins, poisons, and metabolic waste products while destroying bacteria, viruses, germs, dead cells, and other unhealthy material that doesn’t belong in your body. If your lymphatic system were to stop circulating for just twenty-four hours, you’d be dead. That’s the reason a diagnosis of lymphoma or a report that cancer has spread to the lymph nodes is so dire. It means the very system designed to purify your body has itself been contaminated. It’s like trying to mop the floor with a dirty mop, except your very life is at stake.
Research conducted by NASA, comparing running to rebounding, found rebounding is 68 percent more efficient in producing similar physiological results. According to NASA research, the straight up-and-down movement of the body while rebounding exposes the human body to g-force (pull of gravity). Each time you resist the pull of gravity (by jumping up) your entire body becomes stronger. This takes the concept of resistance exercise to a whole new level. Even if you’re not an astronaut, you’ve probably noticed that gravity is doing weird things to your body. Fight gravity by defying gravity. Start jumping! If it’s good enough to keep astronauts in condition, think what it can do for the rest of us earthlings.7
You can place your rebounder in front of the television, thereby redeeming time that would otherwise have been spent on the couch. I like to multitask by bouncing when I’m on the phone.
Your children will love it, too. A depressing number of children are currently overweight. Rebounding provides your children with an efficient total body workout, and they will have no idea they are getting their exercise. They think they’re having fun.
I do need to offer two words of warning:
One of the best ways to stay vigorous and build strength is by defying gravity. Give it a try!
Affirmation: I grow strong by defying gravity.
Practical
Consider the purchase of a rebounder.
Remember: Today is the last day of your vegetable and water fast.