A Joyful Road to Fitness

Power-walking is my favourite exercise. However, when we moved house, I couldn’t do it anymore because of the way the roads where I now live are constructed. Many years ago, I didn’t even power-walk; I just walked to my office and back home every day (22 mins in the morning, 22 mins in the evening), and I never had to worry about my weight.

Just before my wedding, I took up skipping. I tried to resume when we moved, but then I saw somewhere online that skipping hurts the knees. Bye-bye skipping rope.

These days, though I can’t be called fat, I’m rounder than I used to be. Pregnancy and breastfeeding played a small part in my weight gain. The main culprits are my sedentary lifestyle (I work from home and spend hours sitting with my laptop), and my new-found love for food.

When I chased my toddler around the house one day, and started panting after a few minutes, I knew I had to find a way to not just lose a little weight, but be fit.

Here are a few things that have helped me:

1. A question: @SirZuma asked me on Twitter, “you can’t walk around your rooms and your house?” My answer was no at the time, but I later realised I could power-walk round the compound. Soft ground is preferable to concrete, but I have to make do with what I have for now. I’m loving it!

2. The Sportrate App: Thanks to @Ms_Isioma, I now have the Sportrate fitness app on my Blackberry. It tells me how long I’ve been walking, how many kilometres I’ve covered, and how many calories I’ve burned, among other things. I’ve gone from 2km, to 3.5km, to 4km every morning, and my goal is to power-walk 10km every day, considering how much time I spend sitting at my desk editing and writing every day.

3. Smaller portions: She may not have known it, but @chikaunigwe encouraged me to try reducing my portions. Prior to this, I was skipping meals (esp dinner). Smaller portions have helped me eat less, and I feel healthier than when I was skipping meals. My friend @UgochinyeluA selected a small bowl for me start using, and brethren, it was PAINFUL. Now that I’m used to it, I wonder how I was demolishing those mountains of food before.

In addition to these, I spend my power-walking time listening to Bible teaching. I can’t tell you how good it feels to be losing weight where I don’t need it, and gaining weight where it really matters. I’m a very happy woman.

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15 Ps For Every Minister: Unveiling Matthew 10

Wait! Don’t move! Whether you are about to enter into ministry, are bothered about what the call of God entails or are wondering just how well you have done so far in your ministry, don’t take another step until you have read Fifteen Ps for Every Minister! It has opened my eyes, lifted my heart and deepened my walk in a way I’d never imagined!

Citing examples from the Old Testament as a shadow of the New, Ehis Agboga first establishes that every believer is a minister, but all are intended to minister in different cadres. Therefore, bearing in mind that ministry is not location, structure or recipient but rather a walk with God, every believer must strive to minister and occupy effectively until Christ returns.

Matthew 10 is the principal text from which the Fifteen Ps for Every Minister are drawn. The first set is made up of the Foundational Ps, first of which is The Pull, where we see Jesus call to Himself “those He wanted” not based on any qualification or fulfilment of a precedent. Here the author makes a point every intending minister will do well to remember; “Ministry is a high call. It is not a thing you enter into by reason of exposure or contact with those already there.” The Pull is followed by The Push, which emphasizes the sending out, noting that the point of receipt of the vision (The Pull) is not the takeoff point (The Push). Wow! Would that we would learn this and avert the dangers brought on by haste!

David and Jesus Christ are examples of ministers who received The Pull but did not venture out until the appointed time when they got The Push. Interestingly Ehis Agboga notes that “the souls you are meant to reach and affect will not die before you reach them.” How comforting to realize this and understand that God is never in a hurry and neither must His ministers. After digesting the preparation process between The Pull and The Push, we are introduced to the Operational Ps – Place, Purpose, Power, Provision, People and Precaution.

At this point I was literally dancing in my seat. The Operational Ps are loaded with simple yet deeply profound revelations; God does not send His ministers everywhere nor does He leave them groping in the dark in an attempt to find their way; If there were no task at hand, He would not pull, prepare and push you to a place. God is not interested in random activity or the unnecessary duplication of efforts; God does not pull us into His service to disgrace us. When God pulls us, He backs us up. He gives us divine enablement to succeed; the quality of your life will not reduce as a result of your entrance into ministry; God gives people as “targets”, as “supporters” and as “ministry people.”

The Storm-Oriented Ps expound on Persecution, Protection, Perseverance and Program as necessary parts of ministry life in a forthright way that does not attempt to sugar-coat stark reality yet constantly reminds every minister of God’s faithful promises.

The Reward-Linked Ps are the last set of Ps in this amazing book and they show us simply that while God does not use people only to dump them later, He also has His standards by which He tries men’s works. Pridelessness, Price and Prize are the key words every minister must keep ever before his eyes. Indeed, as the author reminds us, “All who do not take note of the caveat contained in Rev 22:12 (as regards the basis for the kind of prize each man will receive) may end up in disappointment when they get the prize for their labour in heaven.

Fifteen Ps for Every Minister is so much richer than any review can sufficiently convey, and I absolutely recommend it for every minister who will make full proof of His ministry. Buy it, study it and be astonished by the transforming power of God’s word!

 

 

I first published this review 5 years ago, on Facebook.

WE ALL NEED A #WakeUpCall

My brother Harris (he graciously adopted me when I was 16, lol) has a message for you: 

 

By the time I was 25 years old, I’d dropped out of school twice, been an office assistant twice, experimented with addictive substances and was receiving an allowance from my little sister.

I had hit rock bottom.

And that was my wake up call.

I determined to change my life.

And in 10 years, I’ve become a successful Life & Business Strategist coaching individuals and organizations to achieve High Performance in 90 days or less.

How did I do it?

How come some people attain their goals and others don’t?

This Sunday at 7pm, 3 outstanding coaches, Jimi Tewe, Bankole Williams and I will be hosting a FREE TELE-CONFERENCE, to assist you achieve your LIFE, CAREER / BIZ & FINANCIAL goals over the next 6 months!

You can listen in from any where in the world, and since it’s audio streamed, it’s not gonna drain your data: and yes, you can ask questions too!

All you have to do is click here to register:

http://www.bitly.com/1CCLYW9

 

It’s time to #ChaseYourGreatness

 

BTW, please vote for me as the JCI 2015 Outstanding Young Person of the Year

http://t.co/3by7w20lCc or send an SMS with ‘Steve Harris’ to 08133940940 to vote multiple times.

Thanks.

 

The EdgeEcutioner

SteveHARRIS

Your Life & Business Strategist

@iamsteveharris

www.iamsteveharris.com