It is well documented that for every minute that you exercise, you add one minute to your life.  This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $5000 per month.

The only reason I would take up exercising is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

I joined a health club last year, spent about 400 bucks. Haven't lost a pound.  Apparently you have to show up.

I have to exercise early in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing.

I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.

I have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.

The advantage of exercising every day is that you die healthier.

If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.

And last but not least:

I don't exercise because it makes the ice jump right out of my glass.

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It's good for foot rotten gophers - shafting, and buffalo sties - horses with corns and cows with big horns - and girls with fire in their eyes.

Good for goats with bad dispositions - and lovers losing their spark - turpentine cats and blindfolded bats - and for dogs who forgot how to bark.

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So, your mother, or husband or friend thinks you are a sinner, huh? First and foremost let it be said that these people who love you commit a sin in judging you. Being "in" overweight is not a sin.

I could stop there and say no more but I must explain the "in" overweight comment. Being "in" overweight is a life test that is being failed. As we process through our life, we have not learned or applied some basic steps of exercise and/or good eating habits that have kept us "in" our prime weight.

The next question that must be asked is, Is it a sin to fail?   If it were true that failing was a sin, then there would be a lot of wicked athletes, scientists, students, parents, etc. around. Doesn't everyone fail? In fact, isn't it good to fail once in awhile? This is how we grow, become better, making life more meaningful. When Thomas Edison was looking for a filament for his first light bulb, he tried thousands of different items. He failed until he found the right filament. No one ever remembers Edison's failures they only remember his successes.

What does failure have to do with being fat? The real "sin" is not trying to change your failures, not trying to change your failing grade, not applying your knowledge of good eating habits, not trying to exercise to keep your body in shape.

When you see all those commercials on TV with all those testimonials of 'from fat to thin in three months', besides making you feel kinda guilty, do you notice the enthusiasm of the person showing off their new figure.

Here is the key! .Everyone, who loses weight, first started with a decision to lose weight.

Make a decision to lose weight!This is the point we all must come to, if we want to shed pounds.

The Lord wants to help you accomplish your goals, once you make your decision.

Do you know that making deals with the Lord is OK if they are good (righteous) deals?  I once promised the Lord that I would study hard for my classes and attend church if he would help me get good grades on my tests. It worked real well. I kept my commitment with the Lord and He helped me get A's.

God can help us lose weight. We need to pray for his help, make commitments to gain the necessary knowledge for good eating habits, begin an exercise program (slow at first), and ask for a change of heart so that we can go forward with success and not feel guilty when we fail. As we pray for help, educate ourselves with good nutrition books, listen to positive tapes, and associate with positive people who want to help us to succeed, we will begin to get better at our eating and exercising "tests". If only one pound a week, or even one pound a month, comes off, we will feel better about ourselves, and our body will become healthier.  We must never give up trying to better ourselves.

I'm a walker - I like to walk for exercise. My local mall has a mall walkers association that I participate in. Although I haven't lost much, if any weight, I feel great! After Jared died, I kept walking, sometimes crying as I walked, because I knew it was good for me and also because I knew that people who go through tragedy are at a high risk of getting sick and depressed.  My family needed me to be well and I wanted to be able to handle the stress of my deep loss, and keep my mind together for the rest of my family.

God loves us and He blesses the righteous desires of a changed heart.  If we ask for a 'better grade' on our life test he will help us to accomplish this.