LED BY THE SPIRIT and The Rock Almighty Devo with Guardian

 

LED BY THE SPIRIT

by Creflo Dollar | 

Do you remember making a bad decision as a child that later led to a guilty conscience?

We’ve all been there and have had our own experiences—it’s part of growing up. As children, values were instilled in us that taught us to do our best and be honest and respectful. The world calls that internal moral compass our conscience; however, when we study the Bible we learn that it’s really the Holy Spirit at work.

Ignoring that little voice inside of us usually causes us to make a mistake or do something we later regret. The conscience that speaks to us loud and clear about what’s right and wrong is actually the voice of God. The Scriptures tell us what role the Spirit should play in our decision-making process. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26, NKJV).

Getting get born again makes us God’s children, but we’re still spiritual infants. It takes time to spiritually mature; part of the process of maturing is learning to let the Holy Spirit lead and guide us, and lovingly tell us when we’re in error. “And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.’ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” (Hebrews 12:5-7, NKJV). Just like our earthly parents did when we were children, our heavenly Father corrects us in love when we make a mistake. Obeying Him helps us mature and grow up into strong Christians.

On our journey of spiritual development, it’s important to continue listening to the Holy Spirit’s prompting. With so many choices and so many paths in life we could choose, the world can dazzle us and sweep us away if we let our guard down. Decisions like which career path to choose, what friendships to forge, or how to handle everyday situations are all important. It’s always wise to seek the Spirit’s counsel, first. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

As imperfect human beings, we can make the mistake of failing to take into account the wisdom of the Holy Ghost. We may think that we can get away with doing something immoral if no one is looking; however, someone is looking and He has 20/20 vision. “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13, NIV). As children, we learned that our parents had a way of finding out when we did something wrong. The Holy Spirit has the same ability, only much more so.

There’s plenty of tempting advice floating around in the world, but not all of it is good to follow. Diligently studying the Scriptures and letting the Holy Spirit interpret them helps us to discern lies from truth. We succeed when we let Him lead the way.

Comment, like, and share this post. 

Rediscovering The Principle of Kingdom Commonwealth | Dr. Myles Munroe

 

Blessings Follow in Serving God

• Author Joseph B. Glosenger

I'm writing this article to encourage whoever reads to devote their life to God; true blessings come to us when we do the works which God has for us. God pays us in hefty dividends for helping others by his guidance. In this article, I will list some of the major benefits you'll receive for serving God as he leads.

First, we'll talk about the sow/reap principle:

The Sow/Reap Principle

What you sow, you will reap; this is one of God's fundamental laws. Whatever we do to and for other people will always come back to us, both in this earth, and in the new earth.

Reaping what we sow works like this: If we spend our time being evil to other people, our lives will be unhappy, and painful. Nothing will work out for us. On the other hand, if we spend our time doing good for other people, we will receive good in life. God made it this way. It actually is the absolute best way for God to help people to do good in their lives.

There are many references to this principle in the bible; here are a few verses to show the truth of this doctrine:

Proverbs 12:21 "There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief."

Proverbs 11:18 "The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward."

Galatians 6:7-8 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

John 4:36 "And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together."

God is Very Wise to Order Creation in This Way

It is wonderful to know that by doing good for others, it is guaranteed that good will come back to us. If you think about it, this is a very intelligent way for God to order his creation. He made it this way because it is the best way to guide his creatures to do good for others, because good deeds are rewarded. This shows something of the deep wisdom of God.

God blesses us when we do good. If you dedicate your life to doing God's will, he will have all kinds of good deeds for you to do in the world. After a little while, your life will be quite blessed, as you receive good things in return for doing as God guides.

There are many manifestations of this blessing. You will receive unexpected gifts from God. Your resources will stretch farther. You will be protected from evil by God. Good things will happen for you. People will be more decent to you, in general. When you sow good for others as God leads you to, you reap good in your own life:

Proverbs 16:7 "When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him."

On to our next example of the blessings which we receive from God in serving him:

"Ask, and Ye Shall Receive"

If you are sowing good things for other people, God wants to reward you for your good works. But, we must ask God for things sometimes, to be able to receive them. I've heard people say before that they don't want to ask for things for themselves from God, because they feel that it would be selfish. But, who knows better what a person needs from God, than the person themself? God wants us to ask him for what we need; it actually grieves him when we do not.

And, Christ himself has exhorted us to ask for what we need from God:

John 16:24 "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."

1 John 3:22 "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."

God loves to pay his devoted workers for their good deeds. Consider it your worker's wages. Do not be afraid to ask for things, and do not think that you are being selfish in praying for things for yourself. Ask God in faith for what you need in life, and he will provide it for you. He dearly wants you to ask him for what you really need.

On to the next blessing for us from God, when we follow him and Christ:

In Serving God, Your Life Will Continually Improve

As you do as God guides you to in life, problems in your life will simply work themselves out. Any issues, or unhappy situations will turn into happy ones. When you seek first the Kingdom of God, your problems will be solved, seemingly on their own.

God makes this happen for us, because he knows that we are making other people's lives improve. This is an extension of the sow/reap principle. If we do what we can in our lives to help other people's lives to improve, God will make our lives improve. What a wonderful God we truly have.

But, we have yet to see our greatest rewards for doing God's will on this earth; these rewards are being stored up for us now, to be received on the new earth:

We Will Receive Treasure in Heaven

1 Corinthians 3:8 "Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour."

Matthew 6:19-21 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

The Bible says that we have treasure laid up in heaven for us, for doing God's will. God wants us to do works which have eternal good outcomes. Because we do works with eternal good outcomes for others on this passing earth, we will receive eternal rewards on the new earth.

Then, we ought to devote ourselves to doing God's will in this world, knowing that God is rewarding us here, and will reward us with eternal rewards. There is absolutely nothing in this earth which can compare with the gifts that God gives us for serving him wholeheartedly. What we receive from God can only bless us, and he's earnestly hoping that you'll be able to access his blessings, by blessing others in your life.

I exhort you, do make God and Christ your Lords, and diligently follow them. They will show you how to truly help people in your life. It can only happen with their help, and they dearly want all of their children to help their will to be done on the earth. Do the eternal good which they have for you to do today, and you'll reap good both in this life, and in the life to come.

My Prayer for You

I pray that all who read this article will recognize the biblical soundness of these doctrines. I pray that you will take these teachings to heart, and devote your life to doing good for all, through the leading of Christ and God. I earnestly hope that your life will be very fruitful for God's kingdom. I look forward to seeing you on the new earth. May God bless you richly. In Jesus' name, amen.

DEADLY SHOTS! Former Pfizer Employee Confirms Poison in COVID ‘Vaccine’

 (From Red Voice Media) EXCLUSIVE!

Karen Kingston, a former Pfizer employee and current analyst for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, came forward with indisputable documentation that should be shared with the ENTIRE WORLD!

The inoculation being referred to as ‘COVID Vaccines’ is a poisonous death sentence, and nobody should subject themselves to the shots.

We have gone back and forth with fact-checkers and some independent researchers who have attempted to debunk the findings of Spanish Researchers called Laquinta Columna, originally broken here on the Stew Peters Show by Dr. Jane Ruby, that video revealing that Graphene Oxide, a toxic poison was found in the Pfizer vaccines. Those researchers later found that the same applied to Moderna and Astrazeneca is being tested as a result of our reporting of the truth here. USA Today, Lead Stories, all funded by the cabal were all over me all over Dr. Ruby and out-and-out calling us liars for reporting those findings to the world in a video that has soared well over a million views on Rumble. We have sought the input of many medical experts and world-renowned doctors who have all confirmed that report. On Twitter, you may have recently been following the hashtag PfizerLeak, we want to know what’s in them, if this was pre-planned, who’s behind all of it and what to believe, so today we’re going to get the confirmation we need.

This Youngster Is Real Good At Hitting Them Where They Ain't! And Learn How to Get Faster and Dominate Any Sport You Play

 

Learn How to Get Faster and Dominate Any Sport You Play

• Author James Green

When you know how to move swiftly, you can dominate virtually any sport you play.

Whether you play football, run track, play soccer or basketball, increasing your speed and agility will dramatically improve your game. Learning the techniques for getting faster is not just for running sports. Sure, when an individual thinks about getting faster, he or she normally thinks of running. In the majority of popular sports, a player will use his or her legs the most, but other sports exist where running is not prevalent, but speed is still important.

Swimming

In this sport, you are using almost all your body parts. You also need to constantly work against the resistance of the water, and this is not an easy task. Swimmers who learn to get faster will discover strength training techniques that will help them glide through the water. These techniques will also help them improve their starting time so they can have a serious advantage over their opponents.

Self Defense

Any athlete involved in a sport where defending yourself is the main objective will benefit from getting faster. This includes boxing and wrestling along with the martial arts. Being fast will allow the person to stay on their feet and dodge attacks effectively. If the fight goes to the ground, the person will be fast enough to remain in a dominant position.

Gymnastics

Most gymnasts need a running start in order to do certain handsprings and somersaults. correctly. They also need to develop strength to perform on pommel horses, parallel bars, and trampolines. Speed training methods can help gymnasts improve their performances so they can be much more entertaining. This is particularly good for rhythmic gymnasts who need to be entertaining and accurate as well.

Hitters

Any player involved in a hitting sport can benefit from becoming faster. These sports include baseball, golf, tennis, racquetball, and even ping pong. Players who have fast swings will usually be very tough to defeat. In baseball and golf, a fast swing will allow the ball to travel far distances. In tennis and similar games, fast swings and movements allow players to dominate their opponents.

Speed is a great strength for a player to have, no matter what type of sport they play. Learning the techniques for getting faster is not just for runners, soccer players, and football players. If the sport involves moving in any way, the athlete can benefit from becoming faster. It is an asset that can turn any player into a consistent winner.

Learn how to get faster regardless of what sport you play, visit the ultimate resource for getting faster http://www.WaysToGetFaster.info today!

Good News For Hard Gainers! The StrengthCast PowerShow

  (From BBcom) Gaining quality weight—in other words, mostly lean muscle mass and relatively little fat—is harder than it gets credit for.

► Learn More With Our Foundations of Fitness Nutrition Course: https://bbcom.me/2Wu4eXF ► Calorie Calculator - How Many Calories Should You Eat Per Day: https://bbcom.me/2TGja3O

How you train is just one part of the formula. How you eat will make the most difference. To gain weight, you need to eat a lot—but smart weight gain is about far more than just overeating. Anyone can overeat, but how you allocate all those extra calories will make the difference in how your body responds. In this lesson, you'll get a systematic way to eat for muscular gains. Get ready to use your fork. | Essential Ideas From The Video | • Many people chase muscular gains by dialing back fuel quality and simply trying to pump as much as possible into their tank. That's the recipe to end up wheezing while you walk up the stairs and seeing waist gain—which is not to be confused with quality weight gain. • Counting calories may be more important for someone trying to gain weight than trying to lose weight! Why? Plenty of so-called hardgainers just think they're eating a lot, but a more objective measurement shows them where they're seriously lacking. • Here's where to begin: Create a food diary. Record every bite you eat, and every drop of a calorie-containing beverage, for an entire week. Don't change how you eat during this week; try to keep it as normal as possible, because you're creating a baseline to work from. • You'll also need to know your basal metabolic rate (BMR)—which is how many calories you burn each day at rest, if you do nothing at all. This is something you can have precisely measured in a lab, or not-quite-as-precisely measured using online calculators. • Your basal metabolic rate, plus your activity level, will give you a "maintenance" level of calories. You can calculate your caloric intake online. • Add 500 calories to your maintenance level to start. If you're not gaining weight after a few weeks of eating 500 extra calories a day, add another 500 calories a day, and try again. Be patient! • If you're serious about gaining weight, never go longer than 4-5 hours—and ideally, more like 3-4—without taking in some quality nutrition. For most people, this means at least four meals a day, along with one or two snacks or small meals. Eat something relatively small, but nutritionally substantial, every few hours. • When gaining, shoot for getting 25-35 percent of your overall calories from healthy fats. If you're aiming to eat 3500 calories in a day, this would be at least 1150 calories from fat. Nuts, whole eggs, and avocados are your friends here. • Despite what some bodybuilding-style diets advocate, you don't have to go far above 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight to gain muscle weight. But make sure you're at or close to this benchmark! Measure your protein, even if you don't measure other macros in your diet, just to make sure you're not far below where you should be. • Keeping carbs at around 50 percent of total calories, or a 50/25/25 macro split, is a great choice for muscle gain, while keeping added sugars as low as possible. When you're looking to add weight, it is definitely not the time to go low carb! • You may see a slight decrease in muscle definition when you're adding weight. That's OK. Every pound of muscle you add now will make it easier to become more defined later. • Eat the same good stuff, only more of it. If you're not gaining half a pound a week…eat even more. If you're gaining 1 pound a week, keep doing what you're doing. If you're gaining much more than that, dial it back just a bit. • Strength train at least 3-4 times a week, and sleep big—like, six hours minimum, eight hours ideally, and if your schedule allows, try to learn that old-school bodybuilder's secret weapon of a "muscle nap" during the day. • Bulk for 6-8 weeks at a time, but not too much more. Doing it for months and months at a time will probably just wear you out, and increase the possibility that you're adding fat, not muscle.

Tactical PE We Must Train Our Minds And Bodies For The Unexpected

 

12 Effective Ways To Countering Fear

• Author Joey Ward

We can take action when faced with fear versus allowing fear to get the best of us. The following coping tools can be implemented immediately whenever you are faced with fear.

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department released body cameras, surveillances camera video, maps, pictures of an officer involved shooting that occurred on Saturday, May 29, 2021, at approximately 3:50 pm, an officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) was shot during an incident that included an officer-involved shooting in the 1600 block of W. 30th Street. From Video Leak Police.

Identify the Fear In order to deal with our fears during times of crisis, we must first understand what those fears are. Demystify fear and identify whether it is realistic or not to make it less scary and more manageable.

Think Positively

Positive thinking is a way to regain control during times of distress and uncertainty when fear tries to dominate. Choose to not focus on potential negative outcomes. Make a conscious pivot away from the negative source/stressor and towards a more positive focus.

Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation practices improve mood, reduce stress hormones, slow breathing, decrease heart rate, and reduce frustration, all of which are associated with fear. Relaxation techniques include yoga, massage, aromatherapy, music, and art, among others.

Breathe

Breathing helps you regain a sense of calm in the midst of fear. Breathing offers the opportunity to take the time to pause, refocus, and process what is happening and what you are feeling. Be Patient Fear can cause irrational thoughts and poor decision-making.

Take some time to just sit with your feelings so you can realize that the fear isn’t valid, help you reason through the fear and develop a solution to adequately address it.

Self-Care

Self-care is a way to address the mental and emotional impacts fear can have on the body. Self-care is about prioritizing the protection of well-being and happiness, particularly during periods of stress induced by fear. Methods of self-care include healthy lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise, meditation and other forms of relaxation, stress management, and journaling.

Get Informed

Fear is often fueled by the unknown. What we don’t know seems to cause us to panic and think about worst-case scenario situations, especially during a crisis. Manage fear with information from reputable sources. Once we understand a situation or scenario, we are in a much better situation to address it.

Gratitude

Being grateful can serve as a powerful means of refocusing attention and energy when in the midst of fearful situations. Gratitude can ground you in positive thoughts when fear tries to overwhelm and override. Humor In crisis situations we are often only surrounded by the negativity and severity of the situation at hand. It is hard to remain afraid when you’re laughing.

Exercise

A little physical activity can produce a physical response in the body that is great for fighting against fear. When we engage in any kind of physical activity, there is a release of endorphins that cause an analgesic effect within the body.

Exercise reduces stress and boosts inner calm and mental clarity.

Meditate

Meditation can be used to combat fear by intentionally choosing to focus on something other than the trigger causing the fear and regularly engaging in the practice as a means of redirecting and gaining control of your thoughts.

Through meditation, you can manage and calm your fears and thus manage distressing situations.

Talk it Out

Talking about your fears helps you to either realize the fears are not realistic or at the very least allows you to vent, instead of letting those fears fester in your mind. In talking through fears, we can often come up with solutions to address the core problem.

Youtube Video of this article

https://youtu.be/Sski6klCuLA

Grab your FREE download "Mental Breaks" below.

https://rebrand.ly/mentalbreaks

The Rock Almighty Devotional, Praise, and Worship with Armored Saint and THE BEST POSSIBLE YOU

 

THE BEST POSSIBLE YOU

by Creflo Dollar | 

We all want others to see us in a favorable light. Sometimes that involves polishing our rough edges and improving attitudes that don’t do us any good.

There may always be some things we don’t like about our personalities, but it’s impossible to change through our own efforts; we need the Holy Spirit’s help for that. Depending on Him to transform us into the best possible version of ourselves gets us ready for successful personal relationships.

Change is good; anything not changing is stagnating. However, it’s important to change for the right reasons, not just to please another person. Changing can equal growth and maturity, but we first must want to change. Outward change begins on the inside, specifically in our thought lives. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2, NLT).

We’re spirit beings living in physical bodies and possessing souls, which are where our minds reside. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our spirits immediately become as perfect as His. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). However, because our souls still need work, the Holy Spirit helps us with the process of removing from ourselves what’s not pleasing to God. This is a lifetime process and needs to be done according to God’s Word.

Letting God, not the world, define us is the key to becoming the kind of person others want to be with. A healthy, happy friendship with another person requires spiritual maturity. There’s no one better suited than the Holy Spirit to instill in us what we need. He always points us back to Jesus. “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28, NIV).

Any personal issues we may be dealing with will affect our future relationships. We may be coming out of a toxic relationship and need emotional healing, first, before we can move on and become serious about someone else. The Holy Ghost helps us in this area. “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3). He focuses on any hurts and disappointments in our lives and restores our broken places back to wholeness.

We may be praying in our hearts to find that one special person to spend our lives with while at the same time fighting the fear of repeating past mistakes. However, trusting God to take the lead in our search guarantees our success. He has our best interest at heart. “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for” (Jeremiah 29:11, MSG). We’re always on God’s mind and He’ll never let us down.

The world may tell us people never change. Our friends may tell us changing the way we are is impossible. God says the opposite. “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23). Believing that He’s willing and able to change us for the better puts all our relationships into a whole new light.

For more on living in the season of being single as a Christian, click on the link to find the minibook Single and Christian, in our eStore.

http://bit.ly/SingleandChristianminibook

TRAINING YOUR MIND FOR THE BATTLE and Find Out What God Thinks About You

 

TRAINING YOUR MIND FOR THE BATTLE

by Creflo Dollar 

Our minds are tremendously powerful. Most people don’t realize that their thinking can cause them to either succeed beyond their wildest dreams or crash and burn in miserable failure. Therefore, most people slide though life at a mediocre level and never realize their true potential. However, God wants much more for us than we realize; everything starts with the way we think.

Whether we know it or not, we’re in a spiritual battle with Satan and the fight is taking place in our minds. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). First and foremost, the enemy doesn’t want us to be aware of what’s going on. If we don’t think he even exists, he can fool us, sneak into our lives, and take over. His method of operation is to suggest that maybe we can’t trust God and that God can’t do what He promised.

Thankfully, God’s Word alerts us to the attack and tells us how to neutralize it. Our response should be based in our faith in what God says and our willingness to submit to it.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:11-17).

God has already won the battle and defeated Satan; all we need to do is believe this. We maintain the victory that Jesus obtained by standing in faith in His finished works.

When we clothe ourselves in God’s Word like a soldier clothes himself in armor before a battle, the enemy is powerless against us. Satan tries to introduce fear and doubt into our thoughts; training our minds to think according to the Word protects us. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:8, 9). The devil wants to sow seeds of unrest and turmoil in our thought lives; submitting to God lets Him give us restful thoughts and peace of mind.

We are what we think. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” (Proverbs 23:7). We can either believe that we’re unworthy of God’s love and beyond all hope, or that we’re His beloved, victorious people. It’s our choice.  

GYMNASTICS NUTRITION: 7 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUCCESS and the US High School Sports Show

GYMNASTICS NUTRITION: 7 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUCCESS

• By Rusty Gregory
 

---

Countless athletes approach their diet with an “I can eat whatever I want to because I workout” attitude and adherence to gymnastics nutrition principles is no different. The biggest problem with this recklessness is it’s nearly impossible to eat right just by chance. The other side of the coin presents the opposite approach, “I must avoid weight gain at all costs.” This reaction to the fear of weight gain totally dismisses the nutritional importance of food and can create a whole host of other physical, psychological and emotional problems. Neither is optimal for becoming your best or your health.

Where body fat composition plays an important role in an athlete’s level of success in most sports, it is critical for gymnasts because of the favorable strength to body weight ratio needed to compete. Maximizing lean body mass while keeping body fat composition to a minimum can be quite a challenge. A scientific plan of attack trumps a “just wing-it” attitude in your pursuit of optimal gymnastics nutrition. I see many Austin gymnastics programs that put the gymnast first and others that put results in front of the young gymnastics student. The following recommendations are a starting point to reaching your peak performance as it relates to nutrition and gymnastics.

Hire a sports nutritionist to optimize your dietary intake for gymnastics.

A sports nutritionist is just as important to your level of success as the coach you hire to train you. Having a dietary plan mapped out for you is recommended in order to meet your specific athletic and health needs. A well-designed, written out individualistic approach will consider your workout schedule: frequency, intensity, length of workout and workout recovery; your “game day” plan; as well as, the gymnastic events in which you compete. These important details will affect the calorie count and composition that your nutritionist with prescribed. Follow it closely. This delicate balance of fueling your body for the anaerobic competition that gymnastics requires, but not to the point of storing body fat, will strongly influence the outcome of your individual performance.

Steer clear of eating disorders that gymnasts can potentially fall into.

Anorexia, bulimia and excessive dieting are serious concerns in young gymnastic athletes. Some estimate that as many as half of all young gymnasts suffer from an eating disorder. If you suspect this is a problem, consult your healthcare provider as soon as possible. Treatment for severe cases may require hospitalization. Nutritional counseling, psychotherapy, antidepressant drugs, as well as other treatments are typically used in less severe cases. Your physician, sports nutritionist and/or sports psychologist will help get matters under control so that you can become the athlete you are training so hard to become.

Minimize or eliminate sugar.

Calories are at a premium, you have to make each one work for you, not against you. Although carbohydrates are needed to fuel the explosive anaerobic needs of any event in gymnastics, they should come from nutrient-dense, real foods such as fruits, vegetables and tubers. Sugar-containing foods lead to energy crashes, a non-hunger satisfying effect, stored calories in fat cells, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, insulin resistance, an inflammatory response in your body, and more. None of these consequences are conducive to performing at the highest level possible, let alone good health. So, make each calorie count as usable fuel in the near future, not something you accumulate in fat cells for later use.

Don’t eat processed foods.

With the availability, cost, tastiness and convenience of processed foods leading to greater consumption by kids, the risk of nutrient deficiencies increases. Processed foods are full of unhealthy fats and high fructose corn syrup and are destined to leave you feeling lethargic, sick and fat. They also contain artificial ingredients which have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, allergies, and more. So, consuming food with a long list of ingredients, more than 5 or 6, on the label is not in your best interest from a health or athletic performance standpoint. Anything less than optimal gymnastics nutrition & dietary intake will create a decrease in athletic performance. So, power your training up with whole, nutrient-dense, real foods, not foods that are made in a lab.

Stay hydrated as a cornerstone of gymnastics nutrition.

Everyone knows that hydration is not only good for your health and staving off hunger pains, but it is also essential for performing your best at practice and in competition because of body temperature regulation. Once you feel the thirst sensation, you are already slightly dehydrated and certain physiological factors will be conceded affecting your performance. Meeting your hydration needs at this point can be a real challenge given you are still working out or in a competition. This is why pre-practice /competition hydration is critical; so you don’t fall behind. As dehydration increases so do the symptoms. At first you may see a slight drop off of performance, then muscle cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, even death in extreme cases. Staying hydrated is REAL important.

Take supplements if needed.

Follow the directions of a sports nutritionist if it’s recommend that you take supplements. Not only will the nutritionist know your dietary needs, they will also know which supplements are safe for you to take. Additionally, some supplements may be more convenient at certain times than an actual meal so having a greater understanding of what will be most beneficial to you is essential. Ideally, meeting all of your nutritional needs through your diet is best. This is because the nutrition in your food will be more readily absorbed by your body. Nutrients in food act synergistic-ally with one another to complete the beneficiary effects of food and meet the needs of the human body. However, with the additional nutritional requirements of a gymnast, supplements may be added to make up for any nutritional differences.

Eat a post gymnastics workout meal.

Intense workouts diminish muscle glycogen (stored carbohydrates in the muscle, blood and liver) our primary fuel source and create micro-damage to the muscle tissue. Gymnastics nutrition can focus on the rebuilding and repairing of this muscles tissue that we actually get stronger and gain more muscular endurance. Nutrient timing isn’t only important in executing your event to your highest ability, it is extremely important in replenishing glycogen stores, increasing protein production and slowing protein breakdown post-workout to speed recovery and improve muscle efficiency. The quicker we get replenishment to these areas of need, the sooner we “heal” the damaged muscle and slow the muscle breakdown caused by the workout. This will have a positive effect on your performance if you consume a carbohydrate and protein food source 1-2 hours following your intense workout. Light workouts may not need a post-workout meal or drink. A nutritionist will be better able to advise you on this given the intensity of your workouts and the composition of the rest of your diet.

This article is written by Rusty Gregory of Forte Fitness. Rusty is a an Austin personal trainer with 25 years of experience after earning his Masters degree in Kinesiology from the University of Michigan. Rusty also serves as a highly valued consultant to Austin basketball trainer (and Coachtube.com co-owner) Chris Corbett. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as well as a Certified Wellness Coach. Rusty is also the author of the following books: Self-Care Reform & Living Wheat Free For Dummies.

Note: The content in this article should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs as you optimize your gymnastics nutrition plan.

Checkout All Of Our Gymnastics Courses Only 1 Click Away

---

More gymnastics articles