Most of us exercise. Not everyone exercises every day, but only about 5% of the population doesn't exercise ever. Zip Zilch Nada.
So, if most of us exercise, this also means we spend time on it. It's just logic. You can't do something without spending time doing it. :D
And if we are spending time exercising, then why?
I looked up some reasons for why people exercise. Check this out:
- It makes you feel better
- Helps you sleep better and fall asleep quicker
- Helps you think better + faster
- Helps you handle stress (I agree, but on the other hand, only God can give us the grace to act in a godly manner)
- Makes you healthier
- Makes you live longer (though the Lord determines our days)
- Makes you more attractive
- Prevents diseases
- Can help pain
- Improves digestion
- Helps you lose weight
- Improves memory
- It can help you 'battle the blues' (I agree that it naturally makes your mood more cheerful, but only TRUE joy comes from the Lord.)
I could go on. on. on.
I am a HUGE fan of exercising!! Yeah, just do it! I think everybody needs to exercise. Physical discipline translates into spiritual discipline. How can you expect to be spiritually disciplined if you're lazy physically?
Although it may not be your desire, if you are unhealthy and are doing nothing about it, you are being unkind to everyone around you. I know several people who desire to serve others, be the first to volunteer when there's a crisis, and love on the body of Christ, but have to constantly say no because they are always too sickly. Because they are unhealthy, they get sick easier which, if they are contagious, can effect many people. They have let unhealthiness be a stumbling block in their life while trying to serve Christ. I guess I'm not just talking about exercise here, because exercise is not all that effects health. I'm also speaking of what we choose to eat.
My intention is NOT to kick you if you're already down. I just hope to hold up a stop sign to people who haven't already walked down the road of purposeful unhealthiness.
It's never too late to change. In 3 days, by making a radical food choice, you can change the foundation of your health.
Unhealthy food and being lazy is easy, tastes good, and feels good... at first. But:
- There is nothing that tastes as good as being healthy feels
- Being lazy means ten times more work later on
- Your lack of discipline will not only feel terrible later on, but will slow you down, make you sick, and hinder your usefulness for Christ's kingdom. (I need to remind myself this often!)
It's good to exercise!!! We need to exercise!!!
But hopefully not for the above reasons.
It is a huge temptation for me though, and, as I am writing this, I am being convicted. I often wonder while exercising how many calories I am burning or how many seconds I could be adding to my life. The above are great reasons for exercising, and there is nothing wrong with being healthy, fit, and good looking, but allow me to be a three year old for a minute and ask why. Why do we want to be healthy, fit, and good-looking?
- Is it to be attractive to other people?
- Is it to live longer?
- Is it to have an easier life?
- Is it to be healthier?
These certainly are reasons for exercising, but all of these reasons have been steeped in the pot of "worldly pleasure and glory for self."
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price;therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
~ 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
should
This is why we ^ exercise...
...For the utmost glory of God! When we exercise, we are taking care of our bodies, the temples God has given us, so that we can use it, by God's grace, to advance His kingdom and bring Him glory. (I mean, hey, if you made a temple, wouldn't you want people to take care of it and not abuse it?)
Exercise is just like stopping at the gas station to fill up our tanks. It's just a fuel that can spur us on further for the sake of the kingdom.
Paul says in 1 Timothy that bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things.
Exercise is a good thing, but godliness is way better. It counts for eternity. It matters. Since it matters, we should act like it matters!
To be much like Christ, be much with Christ.
~ Charles Spurgeon
I'm afraid to think that sometimes I can spend more time exercising (though I should still do more of it!) than chasing my King, pursuing a relationship with Him, and being in His Word.
Today my encouragement to you is:
- Spend more time in His Word
- Exercise to take care of your body so that you can do more Kingdom Work quicker and more efficiently.
This post has kind of been just a bunch of my thoughts concerning exercise, but now I'm going to share some practical steps to inspire you to incorporate exercise into your daily habits. They're really simple. This is just a short list, but hopefully it'll get your wheels turning.
Pushups:
If you can just barely do a pushup, you can start with something easier and then progress to regular pushups.
For example, if you have stairs, you can start doing pushups on the stairs, putting your hands on the top stair step. When that gets easy, move down a stair, and keep doing that until you're doing pushups on the floor. Or, you can start doing pushups on your knees until you can do 40-50, and then start doing regular pushups. That's how I started!
Also, you can do wall/refrigerator/pillar/desk pushups. Push-ups aren't too impractical, but sometimes a more practical variation is to put your hands against a vertical support, put your feet as far as possible behind you so that you are actually putting some weight on your hands, and do stand-up push-ups. The farther you can put your feet back so that you're leaning against the support at an angle, the harder and more effective they will be. They aren't as hard as regular pushups, and real pushups are still the best option, but this is still much better than doing nothing.
Just yesterday I figured out how to do an upside-down pushup on a tree branch. :D Be creative!
She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms.
~ Proverbs 31:17 ~
Jumping Jacks:
I think the reason we don't all do jumping jacks all the time is we just forget that they exist. It might be a good idea to write out 5-10 little exercises like these that you can totally do every day and stick it somewhere, like on your refrigerator.
Skipping:
I personally don't believe that kids should be surrounded with toys while growing up. After all, they have enough creativity to create toys out of wood blocks... and pieces of toast. But I do think that every child should have access to a skipping rope (jump rope) as it is fun exercise. However, you don't need a rope in order to skip. Next time you need to walk across the room, try skipping instead. Make skipping a habit. There's a certain type of weather in spring that I call 'skipping weather,' and it' just arrived! I am so excited!! :D
I also have a friend who often spontaneously jumps into the air. It's hilarious, but hey, it's a great idea! The idea is to squeeze every bit of benefit possible from every-day habits.
The Spring100 Challenge:
Registration is already closed this year, but next year, if you sign up for the Spring100 challenge, I am sure it will be a great blessing to you. You can find more information here, on shilohphotography.com. I highly encourage you to check it out.
Even though registration is already closed, this doesn't mean you can't do something similar yourself! The idea is to walk 100 miles by a certain date, so figure out how much you think you can walk every day, pick your ending date, grab a buddy, and get walking!
Ultimate Frisbee
If you live in the area, we'd love to have you come play Ultimate Frisbee with us this summer. Contact me for details. :D
~ To The Glory Of God Alone ~