| God's Body by Design by J.R.Smith |
|
Back to Nutrition |
|
Nutrition; The very word itself conjures up images of everything from fad diets to supplement company lab scientists developing the latest and greatest protein drink. But these images are anything but true when we look at what God intended for us as nutrition. Bodybuilders, especially those of us who are Christian bodybuilders, look at nutrition differently than just about any other athlete in sports today. Whereas some athletes are trying to run faster, others are attempting to jump higher, while yet others are doing their best to break the world record in the bench press, the bodybuilder is focused on one thing; get bigger and leaner each and every day. When God created the earth He knew there would be bodybuilders on this earth. In fact, God is the ultimate bodybuilder because He commissioned us to "build the body of Christ." And with any endeavor in this life, we must have the fuel to go about doing His will, whether it is for building the body of Christ or building our body for Christ; we still need fuel to do the job. Hopefully that is where this column is going to come in handy. As a certified personal trainer, strength coach (and soon to be a certified sports nutritionist) I have seen how vital nutrition is to the human body. I have seen too many hard working efforts go unrewarded in the gym simply because of poor nutrition. Just because some big huge guy sporting 18 to 20 inch arms tells some unsuspecting wanna be bodybuilder to eat 100 raw eggs a day, doesn't make consuming those eggs the right approach. There is an order to everything under God's creation and nutrition is one of those things. The human body is designed to work a certain way and to treat it otherwise is getting out of the order in which God created the body in the first place; and where there is disorder there is confusion. Confusion is not of God ( so you know who the author of confusion is, don't you?) In the world of bodybuilding, there is simply way too may wive's tales and mythology running rampant. Most of what everyone in the gym knows about nutrition and supplementation is due to anecdotal or from one of those "Special 4 page reports" you find in many of the bodybuilding magazines. But remember, anecdotal evidence is not "scientific" and reports in bodybuilding magazines are marketing. In the book of Proverbs, chapter 16 verse 25 it states, " There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death." This scripture alone should shed so much light on the subject of nutrition and supplementation that you have a "revelation moment". What that simply means is what is so often heard; "If it sounds too good to be true, it must be." That is another way of looking at that scripture in Proverbs. Don't believe everything you hear in the gym or in the magazines, in other words. Now let me say right here and now, I know that there will be some of you that when you read this will say to yourself that I am off my rocker. Some of you will proclaim that only high protein diets rule in bodybuilding and many of you have probably trained and won using a high protein diet. Well that is okay too. Do you know why? If I have learned anything while earning my ISSA credentials and studying Dr. Fred Hatfield's materials it is this; there are the 7 Granddaddy Laws of Training. Some of these laws can transcend over into nutrition and one of those laws that I love so much is the Law of Individual Differences. That simply means you and I are different and chances are you are going to respond to a different set of macronutrients than I do. It could be due to your metabolism, personal choices or any number of things. But the fact is, we are not all going to respond to the exact same thing at the exact same time for the exact same reason with training and nutrition. But the truth is, we are carbohydrate driven creatures and therefore, for the most part of the year, we must derive most of our nutrition from carbohydrates. But the real question is, how do you know what types of carbs to consume and how much protein. Well, I hope to answer those questions for you in the coming weeks, months and however long we can provide you with this column. But let me say this first. As Christians, we are focused on one thing and one thing only; to first and foremost serve the Lord our God with our bodies. We are to offer Him a living sacrifice with our body as this is our spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1) If we don?t know how to treat our own bodies with the love of Christ, then how can we show our brothers and sisters that love? It will reflect in our actions and we may lose our ability to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Please remember this; Jesus wants you to have fun with the sport of bodybuilding. But whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1st Corinthians 10: 31). That means, have fun with bodybuilding but be a good steward of the body He gave you. Treat it right in your every day life and in your sport and God will bless your efforts with both a productive and fun bodybuilding career as well as a healthy and long life in order to go about doing the work and will of God the father. Your godly nutrition plan is going to fuel your efforts in everything you do, so do it wisely. Since this is the introductory column, I am not going to go into the nuts and bolts of nutrition just yet. I want to introduce you to what I am going to attempt to create for you, which is a godly bodybuilding nutrition and training column that I like to call "God's Body by Design". With this column I hope to bring some of the following to you: * What is high performance nutrition and how it can apply to bodybuilding; * Understanding how the human body processes fuel; * Understanding physiology and how nutrition applies to get the most out of training and stripping off fat; * What exactly is zig zagging for nutritional performance; * How to eat prior to and after training to maximize performance; * Supplements: the myth and the truth; * Strength training science and how to apply it to bodybuilding; * How to train and eat to the glory of God; * Understanding your place in the great commission as a bodybuilder; * And much, much more!! I also would love to hear from everyone of you. I will take your emails and attempt to answer them. Part of what I do in my line of work is to help bodybuilders, powerlifters, beauty pageant contestants, models, figure and fitness competitors be better at what they do all while serving Christ as Lord and Savior. If you have any questions you can email me at bodyfit2day@hotmail.com and I will attempt to respond to you. I would love to hear your ideas on what you would like for me to write on and at some time, I may even have a Q and A column one month. I want this column to be fun, informative and bring glory to God and edify the believer; that is you. And if you are not a believer, I would certainly love the opportunity to share the gospel with you sometime by phone. More on that later but you can email me anytime you like. I want to thank Bobby and Val Barker for giving me the opportunity to write this column. I have deeply desired to share this with many people on a much greater level and God has given me that opportunity. I ask that you pray for Bobby and Val as they are providing a valuable service to the body of Christ with this web site. I pray God?s blessings upon them now and every day. It is my prayer you will too. Until next month, May God bless all the work of your hands. Stay healthy and stay strong. J.R.Smith, c.f.t., s.p.n., s.s.c. NBFE board registered / fellow CEO Elite Performance Training Systems Executive Director - PowerLife Ministries Hebrews 12:12 / Galatians 6:9 J.R. Smith holds multiple certifications from the International Sports Sciences Association and the United States Sports Academy. He is a graduate of the International School of Fitness and Nutrition; J.R. is also a certified biblical counselor certified through the American Association of Christian Counselors. He has been involved in fitness since 1966 where he first began studying martial arts, eventually earning his black belt. He began full time personal training in Somerset, Kentucky in 1990 becoming one of the first full time certified personal trainers practicing in Kentucky. He is a retired competitive bodybuilder and bench press competitor. Since 1990, J.R. has been hired to train clients in several states, is a public speaker on health and fitness issues, has a regularly published column in the South Kentucky Health and Fitness Journal and contributes articles for Pro Trainer On Line, an internet newsletter for all certified ISSA trainers. J.R. also is the executive director of PowerLife Ministries a health and wellness ministry helping the body of Christ to get healthy, physically fit and preparing them for the fulfillment of their personal great commission. He is available to speak at churches and group functions. For more information, see the email address below. bodyfit2day@hotmail.comJ.R. and his wife BJ reside in Somerset, Kentucky where he is the executive director of health and wellness for Lifeline Home Health and is the CEO of Elite Performance Training Systems, a personal sports performance training and nutrition practice. J.R. can be contacted through his email He is also available for personal consultations. JR Smith, c.f.t., s.s.c., s.p.n NBFE Board Registered / Fellow Executive Director Lifeline Wellness Center CEO Elite Performance Sports & Fitness Training Systems 606-271-0981 |
|
|
|
|