I find it ironic that the very things that give us energy require energy.
My alarm goes off, and I know I need to get up by 5:40 a.m. if I want to squeeze in that five-minute Denise Austin “Wake-up Workout.” But . . . five more minutes of sleep . . . okay, five more minutes of just lying here . . . is so much more appealing . . .
In the afternoon, I trudge home from teaching school, dreaming of crashing on my cushy swivel chair with a Dairy Queen chocolate brownie extreme blizzard or a Starbucks pink drink. But I know I’ll feel more energized by Leslie Sanson’s fifteen-minute “Heart Healthy” walking video or by walking a treadmill and lifting weights at a local Planet Fitness.
Choices. I do not always make the right ones. But sometimes simply having the battle—knowing that there is a crucial choice to be made—makes us winners in becoming good stewards of our bodies.
The Beginning of Exercise
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve did active, physical labor as they tended the plants and trees. In addition, some have speculated that Adam and Eve took daily walks with God. When Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God when He came “walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8). Was this a daily arrangement that Adam and Eve avoided after their disobedience? If so, it is amazing to think of the great walking partner Adam and Eve had before the Fall.
While some jobs require physical labor, modern conveniences have greatly reduced our need for activity. Instead of walking, we drive from one place to another. Many people sit at computers for daily mental labor. Dishwashers and washing machines reduce the physical household labor our ancestors did. And most students sit at desks for hours. These are all good things. However, our modern way of life often means that we need to be intentional about exercising our bodies.
The Benefits of Exercise
As a teenager, I viewed exercise as a way that people lost weight. In my mind, exercise was connected to maintaining a good physical appearance. Yet as I have matured, I have learned there are so many more important things that exercise accomplishes. Exercise improves our overall health, strengthening our hearts and bones. But exercise also improves our brains and energy levels. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, exercise improves cognition, reduces anxiety, and enhances our executive functioning.[i]
More and more, I have found that exercise helps my mind as well as my body. A couple of years ago, I started to work in a little exercise each morning. Most of the time, it was only five minutes of stretching, crunches, and lunges. But those five minutes seemed to wake up my mind and make my body feel loose. It even helped my breathing by opening up my sinuses. When I could do a fifteen-minute walking workout that increased my heart rate, I felt more clear-minded.
In the last month, I felt that I needed to get out of the house and go somewhere to exercise. So I signed up for a Planet Fitness membership. Now I look forward to going to the gym right after school each day. Pounding my feet on the treadmill, stretching, and working my way through a few weight machines release the tension that has built up in my neck and shoulders throughout the day.
There are so many things I want to do in life. Having a sluggish body and brain keeps me from effectively doing and enjoying those things. It takes effort and work to figure out how to incorporate exercise into our schedules, but it helps us be more productive over time.
Choosing Our Mindset
Instead of thinking about exercise in terms of weight loss or having a toned body, let’s think of how exercise will equip us to do the daily work God has us to do. Let’s think of it in terms of increased energy, clearer thinking, better sleep cycles, strong spines, and stress relief. Develop your own personal goals for exercise, and find simple ways to incorporate exercise into your routine.
We all have choices. Let’s strive to make good ones.
[i]. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Physical Activities Guide for Americans, 2nd ed. (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018), https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf#page=39.
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Check out more insights on healthy living in my book Opening the Hope Chest: A Single Girl’s Guide to Homemaking.
Great post about choices, Carmen. As we reach each new year, it is important to evaluate our ‘movement.’ Increasing the walking time is always a good choice. I allow a once-a-week treat so I don’t become focused on just one type of discipline. And yes – that brownie fudge blizzard is a fave!
Yes, it can become easy to get into a rut and not press on to grow. Good thoughts! Thanks!