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Every time I exercise, I feel so—spiritual. Not what you were expecting me to say, is it? But it’s true. The older I get, the less I can rely on my body to do what it’s supposed to do. Now, when I was younger, I didn’t have this problem. I could depend on it to do whatever I needed it to do, in spite of how I treated my body. In fact, it’s probably safe to say that I abused my body. Every day.
I didn’t give two thoughts to what I was using as fuel—or food. I stayed up late with no regard for getting eight hours of sleep, or how it would affect me in the morning. Then there was that period in graduate school where I ate a Dairy Queen Blizzard for dinner. Every night. For about four months.
Part of the problem was that I didn’t experience any direct negative consequences from my decisions. Now that I’m past 40, I can’t get away with such brash choices. It’s been that way for awhile. Now, I have the benefit of immediate effects from eating a McDonald’s meal or foregoing exercise.
Some may think I’m veering on the edge of sacrilege here, likening physical activity and my “diet” to spiritual activities. But in the Hebrew culture, the mind-body split as we know it in the Western world simply didn’t exist. You see, we tend to think of spiritual activities as the things we do on Sundays, or in our prayer closet. This isn’t how our biblical relatives “did life.” Instead, the two were essentially one. What you did in one area affected the other, and vice versa.
I’m learning how important it is to marry the two. How I treat my body not only affects what I can accomplish in the day, how much energy I have, and even how well I can think or serve my family. It also carries over—directly—into my spiritual walk. If I’m not giving my body the activity and key nutrients it needs for its daily functions, and to ensure good health as I grow older, will I be able to give all of myself for service to the Lord and His people?
I may not be reading God’s word or talking directly to Him while I’m chugging along on the elliptical or practicing Pilates to increase my flexibility, but I’m surely treating my temple as God designed.
Staying active. Eating right. Teaching my children these habits. They’re all just part of my daily walk with God.
Won’t you join me on a spiritual “walk” and make being fit and healthy one of this year’s goals?
BIO: Anita Alvarez is a full-time freelance writer. Her work includes writing about developing a healthy lifestyle, getting and staying fit, and eating a healthy diet of whole foods. You can find her articles on Angie’s List, Stack.com, and the Examiner, or her website: Plantified.
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