How to Live Well, Vol. 4: Did you exercise today? Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem Daily exercise and a healthy diet should be a part of everyone’s life, regardless which faith they follows. Aside from the help of Allah, do we really think the Battle of Badr could have been won if The Prophet [sallahu alayhi wa salaam (SAW)] and the Sahaba were obese and unfit? Would the Prophet (sAW) and the early believers have been able to migrate to Medina if they did not have the ability to walk long distances? If they could handle such hardships with little amenities, I’m sure we can walk at least 30 minutes a day. If we can’t do at least this much how could we bear the physical strength we will need to perform Hajj? Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, “a strong believer was better than a weak believer” (Sahih Muslim). Now, lets ponder that for a moment. What does it take to be a strong believer? Belief in Allah, Messengers, and Angels, displaying good character, doing good deeds, praying 5 times a day, etc. But lets isolate our Salah. Have you ever noticed, young or old, how it is sometimes difficult for a believer to go into sajdah? Of course some may have bone and/or joint ailments, which may cause this disability. But, if a person was to pay more attention to their bodies, ailments of this nature could be avoided. Our bodies have rights over us. Anything that interrupts us from performing Salah in the manner of our Beloved Nabi (SAW) is a Fitnah. Living in the 21st century, we have become lazy. It is easy to get a vehicle, we sit in front of computers either for recreation or work, we sit in front of the television being entertained my foolishness. But when was the last time we listened to our bodies? For example, I am a native New Yorker. Prior to moving to Saint Louis, I took public transportation, despite having a car. This meant running for the bus, walking up and down stairs to reach the train or subway. There were times when I would have to walk 10 to 20 blocks to reach my destination. After work and school I would walk/run 4 miles 5 days a week. It is stated that the average New Yorker walks 5 miles a day. As soon as I moved to Saint Louis all of that stopped. I was in a city I was unfamiliar with, so I drove everywhere and still do. I definitely did not go walking or running in my neighborhood. Did I mention I also weighed 111 lbs. when I moved to Saint Louis? After being here for 4 months I literally gained 16 lbs., now I know many will say I probably needed that, but that is a lot of weight to put on in such a short period of time. Something had to be done. Because, I have more responsibilities I do not always have the opportunity to work out after work. So, I walk during my breaks at work. I use my two 15 minute breaks to walk in the parking lot of my job, and when it is too cold or hot, I walk in the building and also walk up and down the stairs. Exercising even for a few minutes promotes good blood circulation, bone and joint movement, and even aids in the functionality of our digestive systems. If there was a Zombie Apocalypse (joke) or any catastrophic event that disabled the computer systems, guess what? No cars, buses, trains, or planes. All you will have is your body or maybe a horse if you’re lucky. We have to take care of the vessel Allah loaned us. Our bodies do not belong to us. We need to return our bodies back to Allah in the same condition it was when we were born. Meaning good health, good skin, and bodies free of filth. Below I will give an outline of how to get started. Flexibility If we are making Salah as it has been prescribed then many of us are ahead of the game. Week 1: Stretch Stretch in the morning and night before bed. Loosen up your body to promote healthy blood flow, joint and bone movement. Drink a full glass of room temperature or lukewarm water with the fresh juice of half a lemon. This will really promote great circulation. Instead of coffee, drink green tea, which is a great energy booster and antioxidant… Gotta get rid of those free radicals slowing you down. Week 2: Cardio Do twenty jumping jacks after stretching in the morning. This will increase your heart rate and will get you energized to start your day. Use your work breaks to power walk. Get your body used to moving and being alive instead of being a robot. Week 3: Strength Building By now you should be feeling more energized. To build core strength, add some sit-ups or crunches. Do some lunges to strengthen your legs and use low weight dumbbells to strengthen your arms. Week 4: Full Routine By week 4 you should have a routine together. Also add more repetitions to your sit-ups, jumping jacks, etc. Take advantage of technology and look up workout routines that will assist you in really mapping out a routine and creating a chart. And the good thing is all of the above can take you only 30 minutes and of course go longer if you can. Remember Allah will not put anything on us that we cannot bear…soooo I challenge you to get started right away!!!!! GETCHA SOOOME!!!! DISCLAIMER: “Please be advised that you must not rely on the information provided by the writer and/or Taqwa Magazine as an alternative to medical advice given by your doctor or other professional healthcare providers. If you have any specific questions about any medical matter you should consult your doctor or other professional healthcare providers. If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition you should seek immediate medical attention. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information provided by the writer and/or Taqwa Magazine. You agree not to hold liable for any damages arising from or relating to your reliance on any of the medical /home remedy information provided by the writer and/or Taqwa Magazine. Furthermore, the information, products and the claims made about specific products and/or remedies recommended by the writer and/or Taqwa Magazine have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are not approved to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.”
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 05:36:04 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015