Most of us in modern American society are in a fitness stream. (Just to warn you, this post has a ton of metaphors.) The current is pretty swift, replete with boulders called Heart Disease and Diabetes. It has tributaries called Fast Food, Sedentary Lifestyle and more. And the ocean into which it empties is called Premature Death. Even if you’re just treading water, you – like most Americans – are bound for that ocean. You have to be actively swimming against the current and navigating the boulders to avoid the ocean and wind up in a better place.
(Side note: This whole post presupposes the biblical doctrine of the sovereignty of God. No matter how healthy I am, God can take me home at any moment, and that would be really nice; it would be in accordance with His perfect will. I don’t suppose that I can add another minute to my life beyond what God has planned, no matter how many carrots I eat or kettlebell swings I do. In the meantime, I’ll try to make the most and best of this life. And so I write this post. End side note.)
With rare calamitous exception, nobody gets out of shape overnight. You don’t just wake up one morning overweight or knocking at death’s door having gone to bed the night before completely mobile, strong and healthy. Rather, it happens over time as a result of a number of decisions: some small, some big, some major, some minor.
And the same principle applies to many other arenas of life, too, from finances to work, etc. The war of life comprises a series of battles, some more significant than others.
Most of you don’t know it, but I’m in an ongoing war with obesity personally. You may not guess that immediately, because as I sit here typing this, I’m 6’0” and 172 pounds. But a look at my family – whom I love dearly – is evidence of my genetic curse. My family tends toward a struggle with weight. My natural trajectory is toward obesity…unless I fight against it. And the older I get, the more of a struggle it is. I’m over 30 when testosterone naturally starts to decrease in men, and my metabolism is gradually slowing. My body doesn’t recover from exercise like it used to, and so on.
And I have a feeling that many of you can relate to what I’m writing. So I want to share with you some of the principles that I return to regularly in my own thinking as I wage this war, and perhaps you’ll find some of them helpful.
- Fitness is a lifestyle. You don’t get fit by one choice and you don’t stay there by one choice, either. Likewise, one fantastic workout won’t give you a six pack any more than one day’s worth of eating only cheesecake and pizza will take it away. Things worth having rarely come easily or quickly, and that includes good health.
- The best system is the one that works for you. My dietary or exercise choices work well for my schedule, but may not work well for someone else’s schedule, lifestyle or even preferences. It’s usually silly to try to adopt someone else’s exact dietary and exercise program, but it’s wise to draw ideas and principles from a variety of sources. Find something that is sound, that works, and that is enjoyable enough for you to actually stick with without a sense of constant regret, remorse, disappointment or deprivation. The best system is whichever one you’ll stick to…that’s also good (it’s easy to stick to a diet of garbage and a workout regimen that only involves curling your remote control and walking determinedly to the fridge during commercials).
- As in anything, maintenance is easier and generally less costly than repair. Once you are able to get into a fit state, staying there takes work, but not as much work as getting there. And overall quality of life is better, too. Greater mobility, greater health and fewer doctor visits await.
Further, it costs less. Shelling out $30 for an oil change four times per year costs far less than replacing an engine. In the meantime, the car will run better, saving fuel, etc. Buying fresh fruit and vegetables can be expensive, but not as expensive as doctor visits and prescription medication. I can buy a lot of kale for the cost of a $25 copay. And that’s saying nothing about time and convenience of trips to the doctor, waiting rooms, etc.
- Every decision is a battle to be won or lost. Each meal, each trip to the supermarket (from where you park to what you buy), each minute spent in the gym represents a battle waged in the greater context of the war for fitness. Try not to stress about it too much, but neither should you sell it short or downplay it too much. Keep a balanced perspective, but know that the outcome of a war is rarely based on one battle…but sometimes it is.
- Rome didn’t fall in a day. It happened over generations as a result of many leaders’ decisions and numerous lost battles. Similarly, since every decision is a battle, every decision is not itself the war. Just because you had a moment of weakness and indulged in cheesecake when you shouldn’t have (which is different from rewarding yourself with cheesecake or doing so to enjoy life; I’m talking about when you feel guilty for eating it. There’s a difference….), don’t lose sleep over it. Just try not to do it again.
When your fitness trajectory is upward and to the right, you’ll see results and feel better, even if there are occasional dips in the graph related to an extra dessert, not enough sleep, or a missed workout due to an extra busy day. No one slip up is the end of the world, so keep it all in balance and perspective.
Perhaps you’re already in repair mode rather than maintenance mode. You’ve lost a series of battles and you’re wishing you would have made some better choices years ago. Well, we are all somewhere, and we can’t really start anywhere else. Focus on the next battle. VICTORY! Great. Celebrate, feel good, but don’t go nuts, because there’s another battle coming in five minutes. Accept responsibility for where you are, and determine to be somewhere better in a year.
Many Christians adopt a sort of “it will all burn in the end” mentality and wonder what the point is in eating organic celery and grass-fed beef. Well, this is a blog about stewardship, and we are convinced that good stewards are happy stewards. And when you feel good, you can be happier. When I am healthy I enjoy that (now infamous?) cheesecake with greater vigor. When I’m not healthy, eating it is a source of guilt. I don’t want to live like that. I want to be mobile enough to enjoy the blessing of my grandchildren…because I believe that’s right and good. God wants His people to be happy; when we’re happy we’re most effective and even distinct from the world. And good stewardship (in Food, Finance and Fitness) lends itself to that.
I hope that helps. It all helps me. As I mentioned above, I share what works for me, and maybe you can find some helpful principles in it. If not, file it away and maybe something will be handy later on.
Remember the fitness stream illustration? You’re guaranteed to be somewhere different…and soon. Where will you be?
Great Post Jonathan!
Thanks, Merri!