When we feel spiritually stale, weak and weary, we often seek out spiritual revival to strengthen our inner man. But what do you do when you feel physically weak, tired and sluggish? Do you grab a cup of coffee, snack on sugary sweets or maybe take a nap? It might be that a quick mini-workout is exactly
what you need to rev up your engines and energize yourself.

Just as David strengthened and encouraged himself in the Lord (1 Samuel 30:6), we, too, must take the initiative to strengthen our physical selves. You may know that strength training offers numerous benefits to your overall health, but did you ever think of it as a way to instantly energize your body and pump up your spirits as well as your muscles?

What’s even more exciting is the measurable effects within moments of starting to exercise. Studies show that even just a few minutes of exercise can have an immediate positive impact on your immune system and mood, and it can also increase blood flow to your muscles and brain. Whenever I read research about how prolonged and unbroken times of sitting can be harmful to your health, it’s always instant motivation for me to get up and do something, even if it’s for just a couple of minutes. Why? It’s simple: doing something is better than doing nothing. You can break up those long periods of time with a little bit of movement—stand up, walk around or try a quick 4-minute circuit workout.

Circuit Training
Circuit training is nothing more than a variety of exercises—either strength training, cardio or a mixture of both—done at set time intervals where you move rapidly from one station to the next. The following workout is simply a template for how you might go about doing a circuit workout. You can change the time intervals as well as the exercises depending on your own goals and fitness level.

There are a total of 10 exercises in this sample circuit and each one is done for 30 seconds or 10 slow repetitions. One time through should take around 4–5 minutes—roughly the time length of one praise and worship song, a commercial break during your favorite TV show or the time it takes
to consume a high-calorie snack. Choose a light and safe weight that is appropriate for your fitness level. This isn’t intended to be a “banish all belly fat in 4 minutes a day” workout, but rather, more of an impetus to get your metabolism fired up and help you overcome some temporary sluggishness. Just as David encouraged himself in the Lord, be encouraged as you move through your day.