On Exercise

I enjoy exercise, especially running. My family was always active and my parents encouraged me to participate in sports. I am so thankful for a foundation in fitness. However, two children later, my running days have come to an end. Every time I try to jog I regret it the next day.

I can remember the start of my running was in college. My sister was a senior when I was a freshman. We would meet at a light pole at some ridiculous early morning hour and then take a nice morning jog which usually ended by the bagel shop where we quickly replaced any calories that we burned. I enjoyed the company more than I enjoyed the exercise actually. I can remember lots of times when my sister had to call to wake me up because I over-slept. If I wasn't racing from my dorm because I was late, I was racing to escape the crazy raccoons. Those were the days.

After my sister graduated I continued to run. I would run for an hour a day. I ran in a couple of races and was really in the best shape of my life. Boulder, Colorado, where I lived was by far the best place on earth to be a runner. I could run in the mountains or through fields with cows. I could run on streets or on miles of bike trails. I saw the sun rise many mornings on my jog. What a way to start a day!

I can't remember the last time I was outside when the sun rose. The last cow I saw was in my son's farm animal book. Yes, times have changed. My exercise routine now is pilates with my son sitting on my belly and my daughter trying to grab my feet! Many people say, "you chase after your kids all day, you get plenty of exercise." My scale tells me otherwise.

After over ten years of exercise, I am tired. I enjoy fitness but in my experience, our bodies can become our gods. My motivation for exercise has always been to stay thin. When we are more concerned about our exterior than our spirits, our priorities have become jaded. Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 4:8 (NLT) "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come." My first priority needs to be spiritual fitness. Don't get me wrong, exercise is important and I still enjoy working out. But I think Paul gives us a wake up call here. When we exercise our spiritual bodies we will not only reap benefits now but in the life to come. We need to take care of the physical bodies that God has given us, but as I have found, you can make yourself miserable trying to live up to this world's standards.

Get some exercise. It does relieve stress and in moderation, it feels good. More importantly, I would challenge you to workout your Spirit through bible reading and prayer. I try to abide by the rule that I can't exercise physically if I haven't exercised spiritually. Both make you feel great but only spiritual exercise keeps your core burning longer than 4 hours!