Anderson-Tyler - Perfect Fit: Weekly Wisdom and Workouts for Women of Faith and Fitness

Perfect Fit: Weekly Wisdom and Workouts for Women of Faith and Fitness

by Diana Anderson-Tyler

2014 Diana Anderson-Tyler

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked Gods Word Translation are taken from GODS WORD, 1995 Gods Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright 2000, 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge, 1769.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NCV are taken from the New Century Version. Copyright 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

DISCLAIMER

CrossFit is a registered trademark of CrossFit, Inc. This book was written and published independently of CrossFit, Inc. and is not affiliated with CrossFit, Inc. in any way.

This book contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is solely for informational, motivational, and educational purposes and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical treatment.

The exercise program within Perfect Fit, or any other exercise program, may result in injury. Consult your doctor before beginning this or any other exercise program. If you begin to feel faint or dizzy while doing any of the exercises in this book, consult your doctor. Like any physical activity involving speed, agility, equipment, or balance, the exercise program in this book poses some inherent risk. The author advises readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. The author is not responsible or liable for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book.

INTRODUCTION

Hello, ladies! I hope this book finds you well and ready to refresh your spirit and revitalize your body and soul! Its been two years since my second book, Fit for Faith: A Christian Womans Guide to Total Fitness, was published. Please allow me to update you on my life a bit so you can understand exactly why Ive written a book with workouts so undeniably different than those I programmed in my first two books. (Believe me, I never thought Id stray from my old-school routines!)

The spring before Fit for Faiths release, I met my husband Ben at a local community workout my gym was hosting. We were married less than seven months later and opened our very own box seven months after that!

During the same time I was falling in love with Ben, I was simultaneously becoming more and more infatuated with a method of working out that had previously been foreign to me, something I had never seen before in my years of weight lifting and personal training. It was heart-pumping, sweat-inducing, pride-breaking, boredom-busting, and altogether eye-opening. It was CrossFit.

CrossFit is a bit hard to define as it encompasses a wide variety of exercises and modalities that dont exactly fit neatly into a verbal nutshell. To quote Wikipedia, CrossFit combines weightlifting, sprinting, gymnastics, powerlifting, kettlebell training, plyometrics, rowing, and medicine ball training.

I was quite familiar with the first item, weightlifting, when I began, but had no experience with, nor interest in, for that matter, the remaining seven components. The expressions Secure in my comfort zone and Fear of the unknown perfectly encapsulated my reservations.

To speedily get you up to speed, CrossFit training has truly molded me into my most fit, most athletic state to date. I remember the first class I took. There were burpees. Lots and lots of burpees. And running, an activity Id loathed since suicide drills in high school basketball practices. I was immediately smitten with a merciless bolt of humility as I realized: Im not as fit as I thought I was! And the day I saw the words snatch and clean written on the dry-erase board as part of the workout, I thought they were referencing petty theft and hygiene, not Olympic lifts.

In just over a year, I can run a 7:05 mile, burpees dont give me stress-induced acne, and Im proud to be doing lifts, such as a 265-pound deadlift and bodyweight clean and jerk, that make me hear the Rocky theme song.

Those are just a few of the improvements Im noticing in my physical fitness, and what makes it all the more awesome and enjoyable is the fact that it pleases the Lord and enhances my spiritual fitness as well.

Romans 12:1 proclaims that our bodies are to be a living and holy sacrifice, the kind He will find acceptable. It makes perfect sense to me that the stronger, fitter, healthier we are, the more acceptable our sacrifice, that is, our bodies. Im so thankful for the body and health Hes given me, and its my joy to take care of it the best I can and help you do the same.

Its an honor and pleasure to introduce you to a fun, challenging style of training, as well as to some of the incredible women I've had the privilege to meet, pray with, and sweat beside. May you be richly blessed as you read and ponder the following devotionals and testimonies written by women striving for Gods best in their lives.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. ~Proverbs 27:17

In the following pages, youll find one devotional and two workouts per week. I recommend that you give yourself a day or two between workouts, at least initially. As you become fitter and more accustomed to the intensity of the routines, you may be able to work out on consecutive days. These workouts can supplement your current training routine, or can be easily added onto should you decide to add other workout days to your schedule; other books and online sources can help you program a custom-made at-home workout plan.

Stay fit, stay faithful,

Diana

Footnotes

Box is CrossFit speak for gym because these facilities typically look just like, well, a boxsparsely decorated warehouse-type buildings without the bells and whistles typically seen in workout centers and health clubs.

PROLOGUE: What Youll Need to Get Your Workout On!

Are you ready to get into the best shape of your life and, as we say at CrossFit 925, discover your inner athlete?! I hope so! But before we get started, allow me to brief you on the equipment I recommend that you purchaseor pull out of the closet or garage!to help optimize your workouts. You can locate and/or order any and all of the following equipment online.