Staying Fit and Strong – Body, Soul, and Spirit!
I was intrigued this week when I read that if we want a healthy heart and a number we’re happy with on the scale, then we should buy a bag of Brazil nuts, put our fork down by 6 pm and weigh ourselves every day — or so say the findings of several studies released ahead of the American Heart Association’s yearly meeting for advances in cardiovascular science.
Oh, how happy we all would be if those 3-steps were all we needed to do to stay fit! I was a “beanpole” weighing in at a mere 105 pounds when I married my young husband. There wasn’t much meat on my bones. That was then, and along came my baby boy who helped “fill me out” — literally! But no worries, back in my day the fitness craze started. There were always infomercials for Suzanne Somers “Thigh Master”, Jack LaLanne’s workouts, and my videotapes of Jane Fonda’s aerobic routines and “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” with Richard Simmons. I confess. I tried them all. I even had one of those vibrating belt machines. I jiggled my way back to my “school girl” figure.
Finally, the one routine that stuck with me was when I joined Weight Watchers in 1988. That program worked for me to this day as I make sure I’m on my goal weight when I check in monthly. Accountability has been such a good thing.
Recently, I started having some crazy leg and back issues. I know the culprit. The long distance running that I did for years caught up with me in this milestone birthday year. My doctor urged me to start swimming to help out my body parts!
Fortunately, there is an indoor pool in my community, so I started a swimming routine. I’m up to 15 laps of 150 feet and honestly, ALL pains are gone and I feel so good! I’ll keep on swimming!
It seems God directed me to what I needed to do to stay fit in every season of my life. I’m so thankful He keeps tweaking me in a natural way. But physical fitness doesn’t happen overnight. It takes having a regular routine and staying with it, eating a balanced diet, regularly exercising, getting adequate rest. But, 1 Timothy 4:7-8 says: “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
It’s good to be physically fit, and it’s even better to be spiritually fit. Funny, but I haven’t seen too many “infomercials” on spiritual fitness. Hey, who knows? Maybe we’re on to something here! We could develop some training videos on spiritual fitness: “Prayers of Steel”! Actually, it’s a lot easier to be spiritually fit than physically fit. It’s not that difficult. In fact, I would like to suggest a very simple approach. I don’t plan on creating an “infomercial” any time soon, but I think the following three steps can help us get spiritually fit.
1) Spiritual Fitness requires spiritual nutrition. Just as the body needs proper daily food nourishment, spiritual fitness needs daily nourishment of spiritual food. Jesus said: “’Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 Man is a spiritual being as well as a physical being. Reading and studying God’s Word and combining it with faith is “soul” food. When we’re down, it’ll lift us up! When we’re lost, it’ll help us find our way! When we’re fearful, it’ll give us courage! When we’re weak, it’ll give us strength! When we’re hurting, it’ll give us healing!
2) Spiritual fitness requires regular spiritual exercise. Faith is like a muscle that must be used and exercised for it to grow. We exercise our “faith muscles” by living with audacious, unrelenting faith that comes with trusting God completely to work out every detail of our lives – in His perfect timing and His perfect way! “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:17
3) Spiritual fitness is easier to maintain when we hang out with other “spiritual fitness” junkies. You know them – those who attend church and Bible studies regularly and those who talk the talk AND walk the walk of true commitment to God.
Having a healthy physical AND spiritual life is a daily process of intentional and purposeful action – like a diet or exercise program. It only shows results when we practice it consistently and stick with it over the long haul. If we’re not making health or spiritual progress, then we’re just not staying fit!