“A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.” 

Proverbs 17:22 The Message

It’s true isn’t it? It takes less facial muscle to to smile than to frown. Smiling is nature’s botox for the face and a cheerful disposition weighs less than a dreadful one. Just take a moment to close the computer, turn off the bells and notifications, put on a happy tune, and dare to let yourself have a happy thought. Containing and dispensing good cheer is a surefire cure-all for a sick heart and a great way to manage your “weight”.

I don’t meant to run over anyone who is having a bad day. We all have them. Nothing worse than a preachy kind of person telling you to “Don’t worry, be happy.” (Ugh….I just threw up in my mouth a little.) If you are having a bad day, go ahead..give yourself a day, but tomorrow your God, the God over all things for all time, says “Do over!” The faithful will rise and say “I get a do over!”

God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
    his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
    How great your faithfulness!

Lamentation 3:22 The Message

What I am saying is if we are not careful about what we are thinking about we will find ourselves putting on our grave clothes; those heavy and hopeless thoughts about our money, our marriage, our ministries, our lives.

The enemy of our hearts has no capacity for joy. That’s property of God and God alone.

It never fails. Whenever I am starting to slip down the slope of hopelessness, if I put on a good song, or read a line from the Good Book, or call a friend and say “I need a good cheer.”, I find myself saved from the thunder storms of doom and gloom. Or at the very least shelter until the storm passes.

EXERCISE OF THE WEEK: A Cheerful Chair Swing

• Begin in a moderate squat position, feet close together, with or without weights in your hands. Keep your deep abdominal muscles engaged (belly drawn in but you can still breathe.) Weight mostly in your heels. Spine long. Look just in front of your feet.
• INHALE: As you reach your arms back behind you, elbows high and extended in a tricep kick back, rise to your toes. Hold for a moment as to keep momentum from taking over.
• EXHALE: As you reach your arms forward, weight goes far back in your heels as possible. Hold for a moment.
• Try to keep your butt pretty low throughout the entire range of motion.
•  Repeat 10-20x

A **Metabolic Blast WORKOUT Plan: (**Metabolic workouts are meant to give your a total body strength & endurance workout WHILE increasing your heart rate for cardiovascular training. This are great for boosting your metabolism due to their high demands on large muscle groups while incorporating abdominal strength for core stability training. I highly recommend!)

• 20 Stationary Straight Leg Kicks (aka Frankenstein style. Keep a tall spine. Abs engaged and strong)
• 20 Sword Draws (click to see exercise)
• 20 Mountain Climbers
• 20 Push Ups (modify to knees if needed)
• 20 Chair Swings

Repeat 3-5x (Can do less reps each time through if getting fatigued)

I plan on doing this workout tomorrow morning! Who’s with me? Comment below then let me know how it goes!

Cheers friends,

Alisa Keeton