I am two weeks into cardio-rehab and everything is going well. Honestly, it's too easy for me. The treadmill is way too slow for me and not enough time. The stationary bike is a little harder but I could go much longer and faster. The weights are too light for me. I keep asking my nurse, "This is too easy, can we increase?"
She keeps telling me the same thing over and over, "We are conditioning your heart not stressing it". And then she adds, "Quit whining and keep working!" She barks these orders while eating her custard filled danish from Le Boulanger.
I'm learning that conditioning your heart is much different from stressing it. I'm learning to let off the gas a little and build up steam gradually. For those of us that like instant results, this can be tedious.
I thought of this verse yesterday as I was relaxing on the treadmill, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23). When Scripture speaks about the heart it usually refers to the core of our being, our thoughts, our aspirations, our passions. This verse makes it very clear that guarding our heart should be a priority (above all else). How can we guard our heart? Here are the verses that follow, "Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk from you lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or left; keep your foot from evil" (Proverbs 4:24-27). Clearly, we are to have a plan for guarding our heart. Watching what we say, what we look at and where we go are all important components to guarding our heart. As one man wrote, "Our eyes, ears, mouth and feet are all gateways into our heart".
How are you doing with your heart conditioning? Are you making gradual progress? It's vital. Because out of our heart flows the wellspring of life!

Pastor Tim