‘Prayer-cise’
October 16, 2001 | 12:00am
My husband Mark and I recently graduated from a 13-week Christian Life Program of the Couples for Christ Community. In one session, I pondered why the Lord led me to the fitness industry when I am neither a sports-oriented person nor a fitness professional. I then shared that I and a colleague Ley Fernandez, who is a fitness professional, were thinking of developing a "prayer-cise." We envisioned combining prayer and exercise just like some use yoga to meditate.
Before I knew it, I was asked to rush our project and perform in four days! That would not really be possible without a very talented and energetic, as well as highly spiritual, group exercise professional such as Ley Fernandez. I gave her some Couples for Christ tapes but as expected, the guitar-accompanied Christian household praise music did not have the right tempo for aerobic exercise.
It was a good thing she was just in an IDEA convention in the United States where she led the Philippine aerobic sports team, of which she is the president, in a recent worldwide competition. She also attended some training workshops in preparation for heading the fitness department of Gold’s Gym Manila. In that trip, she grabbed some new group exercise (that is the more fashionable term for what most call aerobic exercise) tapes not knowing that I would ask her in the near future to develop a "prayer-cise" program.
It couldn’t be anything else but divine inspiration. From Ley’s interest in getting the tapes and producing a similar exercise for her own prayer community in Merville, to my sharing of my intention to combine prayer and exercise in a class, to the affirmation of my Couples for Christ groupmates of their interest in such a program, to our cluster’s magnificent review of "prayer-cise."
In an interview with CBN or the 700 Club, Billy Blanks relates how he combined karate, boxing, hip-hop dancing, ballet, and weight training with Bible scriptures – and words like total awareness, excellence, body, and obedience. That is the original "Tae Bo."
"I took karate, boxing, hip-hop dancing, ballet, weight training, and combined them into one form of exercise and called it Tae Bo. The letter "T" stands for total. The letter "A" stands for awareness. The letter "E" stands for excellence. The letter "B" stands for body. And the letter "O" stands for obedience," says Blanks.
It is very easy to be fooled into believing that the popularity of Tae Bo is due to the fact that the likes of Carmen Elektra or Shaquille O’Neal are practitioners or that is was a US fitness craze but Blanks attributes its phenomenal success to something else: "I just truly believe that God has given me an opportunity to go out and touch people’s lives from a physical fitness standpoint, because I tell people the truth about physical fitness and it touches their hearts. It’s touched them from the inner instead of the outer, because most exercise instructors talk about the outer. And what I talk about is the spirit. I believe if you get your spirit in good shape first, then it’s easy to get the outside together. And I believe if you can tame yourself to your five senses, and renew your thoughts and your mind, then you can be a better person in life. And that’s what God has to offer for everybody. And that’s what I bring across in Tae Bo."
He adds, "I believe God comes first. I put God before anything. I put Jesus Christ first before I do anything. I believe everything that I do has to exalt His name. If it doesn’t exalt His name, I’m not doing it."
The words "Not by sight but by faith" are emblazoned on the walls of the Billy Blanks training center – a testament to his faith in Christ to overcome many obstacles. He had a hip disability but that did not prevent him from training hard and becoming a seven-time world karate champion. "Faith without works is dead" – is another scripture verse on the training center walls.
One of the commitments of a Couple for Christ member is to pray at least 15 minutes daily. Although 15 minutes is too short compared to the amount of time we devote to work and other activities, many still find it difficult to offer that to the Lord. Same thing goes for any form of exercise.
In another 700 Club show, they featured a tape that you can listen to while you walk. It incorporates Christian music that inspires you not only to walk for your health but also lifts up your spirits. It includes Bible verses as well as exercise tips. All while you walk.
In a prayer community, the elders encourage you to clap, march, dance, raise your hands, and sing for Jesus. With the help of a fitness professional like Ley, we managed to conduct a 19-minute "prayer-cise" that started with the usual warm-up, building up with fast repetitive movement and ending with a cool-down.
The prayer guideline ACTS (Acclamation, Contrition, Thanksgiving, and Supplication) was also followed in the choice of music. Some critics might say that you cannot do two things at the same time but I am sure all those who have experienced the "prayer-cise" will disagree.
We felt so alive and so close to Jesus. We sang our praise (which is also a good indication that the exercise is indeed aerobic) while we danced, marched, and jumped. Even the final stretches were so fluid as we asked for forgiveness and the grace to be better. Some said that the simple head and arm actions, done slowly like in tai-chi, truly stretched the muscles but at the same time contributed to the meditative affirmation that we are nothing without God.
Send questions and comments to mylene@goldsgymmanila.com.
Before I knew it, I was asked to rush our project and perform in four days! That would not really be possible without a very talented and energetic, as well as highly spiritual, group exercise professional such as Ley Fernandez. I gave her some Couples for Christ tapes but as expected, the guitar-accompanied Christian household praise music did not have the right tempo for aerobic exercise.
It was a good thing she was just in an IDEA convention in the United States where she led the Philippine aerobic sports team, of which she is the president, in a recent worldwide competition. She also attended some training workshops in preparation for heading the fitness department of Gold’s Gym Manila. In that trip, she grabbed some new group exercise (that is the more fashionable term for what most call aerobic exercise) tapes not knowing that I would ask her in the near future to develop a "prayer-cise" program.
It couldn’t be anything else but divine inspiration. From Ley’s interest in getting the tapes and producing a similar exercise for her own prayer community in Merville, to my sharing of my intention to combine prayer and exercise in a class, to the affirmation of my Couples for Christ groupmates of their interest in such a program, to our cluster’s magnificent review of "prayer-cise."
"I took karate, boxing, hip-hop dancing, ballet, weight training, and combined them into one form of exercise and called it Tae Bo. The letter "T" stands for total. The letter "A" stands for awareness. The letter "E" stands for excellence. The letter "B" stands for body. And the letter "O" stands for obedience," says Blanks.
It is very easy to be fooled into believing that the popularity of Tae Bo is due to the fact that the likes of Carmen Elektra or Shaquille O’Neal are practitioners or that is was a US fitness craze but Blanks attributes its phenomenal success to something else: "I just truly believe that God has given me an opportunity to go out and touch people’s lives from a physical fitness standpoint, because I tell people the truth about physical fitness and it touches their hearts. It’s touched them from the inner instead of the outer, because most exercise instructors talk about the outer. And what I talk about is the spirit. I believe if you get your spirit in good shape first, then it’s easy to get the outside together. And I believe if you can tame yourself to your five senses, and renew your thoughts and your mind, then you can be a better person in life. And that’s what God has to offer for everybody. And that’s what I bring across in Tae Bo."
He adds, "I believe God comes first. I put God before anything. I put Jesus Christ first before I do anything. I believe everything that I do has to exalt His name. If it doesn’t exalt His name, I’m not doing it."
The words "Not by sight but by faith" are emblazoned on the walls of the Billy Blanks training center – a testament to his faith in Christ to overcome many obstacles. He had a hip disability but that did not prevent him from training hard and becoming a seven-time world karate champion. "Faith without works is dead" – is another scripture verse on the training center walls.
In another 700 Club show, they featured a tape that you can listen to while you walk. It incorporates Christian music that inspires you not only to walk for your health but also lifts up your spirits. It includes Bible verses as well as exercise tips. All while you walk.
In a prayer community, the elders encourage you to clap, march, dance, raise your hands, and sing for Jesus. With the help of a fitness professional like Ley, we managed to conduct a 19-minute "prayer-cise" that started with the usual warm-up, building up with fast repetitive movement and ending with a cool-down.
The prayer guideline ACTS (Acclamation, Contrition, Thanksgiving, and Supplication) was also followed in the choice of music. Some critics might say that you cannot do two things at the same time but I am sure all those who have experienced the "prayer-cise" will disagree.
We felt so alive and so close to Jesus. We sang our praise (which is also a good indication that the exercise is indeed aerobic) while we danced, marched, and jumped. Even the final stretches were so fluid as we asked for forgiveness and the grace to be better. Some said that the simple head and arm actions, done slowly like in tai-chi, truly stretched the muscles but at the same time contributed to the meditative affirmation that we are nothing without God.
Send questions and comments to mylene@goldsgymmanila.com.
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