I do not talk about this much, but this subject comes up constantly in my life… the subject of “working out”. There are MANY, too many to count, benefits to working out. Not only is taking care of yourself biblical, but it can be enjoyable too. But the main reason I am writing this is because, there are a few benefits to working out, that I rarely hear in conversation, or read about in health articles, and so I wanted to share them because I believe they are critical when considering working out and your motivations in doing so. It is my belief that through working out, God teaches us something about Himself, as stated in the lessons below. With that said, here we go:
1) Working out ups the probability of prolonging your life. I have heard some say that they don’t care that much about their health, and want to do what they want. Fact of the matter is, people who love you care, and what you around as long as they can have you. Our live, is best lived when serving others, and there is much good we can do in this world, the longer we live.
2) It teaches you discipline. Such discipline can carry on into other areas of our life, and produce good fruits there as well. The hardest part is getting started, but once you see the benefits, you are motivated to press on! That change and motivation to press on, gives others hope that they can too!
3) It teaches you to see the good through the bad. There is different about being sore from age, and being sore from pushing your body towards positive gains. Yes, you will get sore from working out, and hurt at times, but there is a good reason for it. Yes John Mellencamp, it does “Hurt So Good”. But when you push through the pain, seeing the good behind it, it helps you to learn to overcome the pain.
4) It teaches you to never become stagnant in life. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut; we call this “a plateau” in the work out world. This is where we do the same thing/routine, over and over and our body stops responding. Therefore, we have to change it up. Such is life, we need to keep moving and not become stagnant. If something isn’t working, change it up!
5) It teaches the results of our choices, the blessings and curses. When we make bad choices, bad things happen. When we make good choices, good things happen. Yet, there are some things that are not within our control, I get that. When that happens, re-read lesson 3. Nonetheless, our bodies remind us that we have a choice, and our choices have consequences, whether you agree with that or not.
6) It builds your confidence. No, I don’t mean ego. I mean what I said, confidence (although some do confuse the two). As you start reaching your goals, and you will, you will slowly begin to build up more faith in yourself, and that faith will spill over to other areas of your life to where you will be more apt to start something new.
All of these lessons (and there are more), have opened up my eyes to some lessons that God has taught me through working out over the years. I find that He reveals Himself to us constantly, if we are watching and listening. Through such lessons, and working out, I have drawn nearer to Him. I am so thankful for the blessings of the ability to take care of myself, so that I may continue to work He has laid out before me, and that I may complete it to the best of my ability, by the lessons He has taught me.
I hope this helps inspire you, as He has inspired me through the years. God bless!
The Hammer and Chisel 