Bible Health Guide
By Philip St. Vincent Brennan
Chapter Twelve
Fitness—Bible Style
Eating healthy foods is just one of the things we have to do to keep in shape. We also need to keep our bodies fit by exercising regularly—and we don't have to do it in gyms, at spas, or on treadmills or other exercise machines.
The Israelites stayed lean and hard because the majority used their legs to get where they were going.
Kept Regular Hours
Moreover, like any largely agricultural people, they rose with the sun and went to bed when it set. And they slept soundly because they worked hard during their waking hours. There were no couch potatoes in the Holy Land in biblical times.
Walking Was Key To Good Health
The Israelites walked wherever they went. The Bible tells us how Jesus and his followers walked the length and breadth of the Holy Land throughout the Lord's public ministry, for example.
Once a year, people from all parts of the Holy Land put on their sandals, took to the footpaths and roads, and headed for Jerusalem. They thought nothing of a journey on foot to a city that may have been many, many miles away.
For most of the population of the Holy Land, daily work meant the kind of physical labor that we associate with farming in the days before agriculture became mechanized and giant machines took the place of brawn. But the most common form of physical exertion was walking, and it had a lot to do with the good health the Israelites enjoyed.
They may have walked because that was their only way of getting to wherever they were going, rather than because it was good for them, but they got all the health benefits that walking provides nonetheless.
Despite the modern public craze for more exotic forms of exercise, the fact remains that nothing is healthier than walking. A good brisk walk makes you feel good, clears your mind of cobwebs, and stimulates your circulation.
A brisk daily walk for a mere 20 to 30 minutes will brighten your mood, improve your breathing and muscle tone, stimulate your metabolism and, as a bonus, burn off a whopping 175 calories.
Will Improve Your Frame of Mind
According to Dr. Suzanne Levine in her informative book Walk It Off (Penguin Books), scientists have discovered that a daily walk will even elevate the moods of the most severely depressed psychiatric patients.
Although it's the most simple of all aerobic exercises, walking still provides all of the benefits that the more rigorous forms involve— simulating the heart, lungs, circulation and muscles. It strengthens bones and helps to prevent the onset of osteoporosis. And best of all, walking doesn't involve pain. "No pain, no gain" doesn't apply that daily stroll.
You'll Want to Eat Less
In addition to burning off excess calories, walking helps keep your waistline slim by diminishing your appetite. Take a walk before eating, and you'll find that you'll eat less when you sit down at the table.
Increases Circulation
By boosting circulation, and increasing the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain, walking invigorates your brain cells. As a result, your memory improves, your judgment sharpens, and your coordination is elevated.
A daily walk is one of the most therapeutic things possible. Walking strengthens the heart's ability to pump oxygen and blood to every part of the body.
Studies show that people who walk regularly suffer fewer heart attacks because walking strengthens the heart's ability to pump oxygen and blood to every part of the body.