In a tennis tournament at Sutter Lawn in Sacramento in 2012.
I love getting out and playing tennis. Tennis is something I have loved for much of my life, but I took a LONG hiatus from competitive tennis. In 2010, I returned to the courts and have been on USTA and other teams and played in tournaments ever since. I definitely LOVE it.
Some of you may be wondering the question that I am occasionally asked by Thin Within participants.
“What about exercise?”
First, it is important that I mention: I have a background in exercise obsession. Though I never practiced any other means of “purging,” I did exercise to excess–so that my husband calls one season of my life my “Bulimic Period.” I am not sure a doctor would have considered it clinically so, but I exercised to compensate for my eating.
I had a lot in common with Winnie the Pooh in this video:
If I exercised more, I would eat more. If I ate more, I would exercise more. NOT a good place to be in!
Second, given my previous obsession, when I started blogging and releasing weight (this time for good) in 2006, I resolved not to release weight depending in any way on exercise. I “fasted” exercise as I knew it. I wanted to learn how to exercise for other reasons and that took time. Granted, I lived a relatively active life (for a woman who was 100 pounds overweight). I have horses and kids and dogs and land that always seemed to need fences or something. So, it is true that I released the 100 pounds without doing what I had always done before to lose weight…without a workout routine like I had depended on previously in my weight-loss attempts.
About six months into this leg of my journey (in about spring of 2007), I discovered “Dance Praise.” This is a dancing “game” for the computer that had a floor mat and steps on the computer screen (think “Dance Dance Revolution”) all done to Christian music. I had so much fun with that program and would mix it up all the time with different settings. Given where I had once been with exercise and how “light weight” Dance Praise seemed to me, I felt like it was an acceptable form of being active. I would lose myself in the music and just enjoy moving and praising God!
I haven’t used Dance Praise in a long time, but I do enjoy playing tennis a lot. I sometimes also use a workout DVD to do a step workout or Turbo Fire workout. But I have a rule for myself: I MUST ENJOY IT.
Even since 2006, though, I have noticed that when I feel most out of control in my life, I will revert to exercise obsession if I am not cautious. Therefore, I have to be cautious!
My goal with exercise now is, simply, to do it 0 to 5. What does that mean? Sort of like 0 to 5 eating or 0 to 5 spending or 0 to 5 drinking of favorite beverages…all things in moderation. I want to exercise if and when my body needs it like I eat when my body needs food…not less than that and not more than that. I believe that this is an appropriate goal for most people. If we sit with the Lord and ask him what that might look like, I think–just like he is with food–he will show us what that means.
For me, someone who loves to be active and has a history of compulsive exercise, if I am fearful of NOT doing whatever it is, then I have to evaluate the place exercise has in my life.
If I have to chart it, graph it, log it, mark it, track it…then I have to evaluate the place it has in my life.
But, honestly, if I avoid it like the plague, I may want to evaluate the place it has in my life! (Or doesn’t!)
I love exercise that I don’t keep track of. I have logged my routines, my strength training workouts, reps, weights, and sets. I have logged miles, wind-sprints, and so much more. I just won’t go there again. That is one thing about tennis I love. I really can’t keep track in any way.
I love playing a song on my iPod player and just kicking up my heals and dancing. One of my favorite songs is by Mary Mary (and Mandisa has done it too…) Shackles (Praise You). Another one is a fun song by Mary Ann Kennedy about owning a Golden Palomino. 🙂 Whatever has a great beat, I just love moving, but hopefully without anyone around so I can really bust a gut! 😉
So what about exercise?
“All things are permissible, but not all things are beneficial. All things are permissible, but I will not be mastered by anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12) That can be exercise, or lethargy. If you have a medical reason not to move your body joyfully and gently, then by all means, protect your body. It is amazing, though, what you can do in the water (water aerobics is very gentle!) and even sitting in a chair! If you know you physically *could* move your body joyfully and worshipfully without injury, I would encourage you to ask the Lord what He would have you to do with this if you aren’t currently active at all.
Please note…the purpose is not for losing weight. EVER. It is to honor the Lord with your body, to help it be relatively healthy, period!
Since my body is not my own, since it was bought at a price, since I am called to honor God with my body (1 Corinthians 6:19,20), I think it is incumbent upon me to prayerfully ask God to show me what it means to joyfully, gently, and with a worshipful spirit move my body. What will give me the best possible health for the length of time I am on this planet without sacrificing mental or spiritual health or hurting myself physically?
How About You?
What place do you feel God has shown you exercise should have in your life? How are you doing with that? What ideas do you have for improving on that…meaning, if you over-exercise now (which may mean you do it out of fear and God wants to spend time with you on that) or under-exercise now? What do you think? What Scriptures has God used to convince you of His will for you in this regard?
First of all that pooh video brought me back to when my son was a baby. I think we had it on a cd – I’ve said “rumbly in my tummly” countless times! :). Fun memories.
Anyway, I sure can relate to this post as I have been a serious over exerciser in the past – with charts, logs, plans, exercising until I made myself sick and also when I was sick. I definitely did it out of fear and to be able to eat more. I was mastered by it. I realized as I read this post – that while I have had some setbacks this summer and am frustrated that I am not where I would like to be, God has been working on my heart, “doing a new thing.” That is, that while I continue to exercise in a sane way, I have not looked at exercise as a way to eat more or that I should “need’ to eat more. I also haven’t tracked my workouts this summer. That is freedom!
My exercise now is to keep my body healthy and strong and to take good care of it. I have started running again a few times a week – this is so that I can spend time with my best friend (we used to run half-marathons together) and I like how I feel after running.
Then several times a week I workout with kettle bells – this is a semi-enjoyable and very efficient workout. I just turn on my music loud (often praise) and swing away. Gone are the days when I am willing to spend 60-90 minutes working out in my basement. It’s more important that I have bible study time and quiet time (among other things) than try to burn calories and reshape my body (yeah, right). I don’t even do DVDs that talk about calorie burn, weight loss, etc. maybe one day I can go back to those workouts, but for now I can’t listen to all of those lies.
Sometimes I’ll walk and listen to praise music or listen to nature and pray or listen for Gods voice.
Carrie, I hear ya! Last night, Michaela (back now from a summer in England!) was sitting nearby as I was hunting for the video. As I started to play it, she started to sing it. LOL! Oh, how well I remember those days! She was that young 16 years ago…sigh! Anyhow, I hate to admit that I have been so much like Pooh in that video (though it also makes me smile!). Yay for you for this great victory that you are fighting for. God is faithful and He is doing a new thing in you!
I love this! So encouraging 🙂
I was just about to email you with this question! I went to an extreme with exercise a few months ago and got burned out. I was doing it to lose weight faster, but never lost one pound. I think that was God’s way of showing me that I can’t do this my own strength. I have recently gone back to walking, but only when my body is calling to be moved. Some days my body is saying rest, other times it says ‘move’! I consciously try not to over do it. I do notice that when I exercise I am hungry more often. So, I eat just enough to satisfy that “0”. Thanks for the post today, it really helped to clarify my questions.
That’s great, Jenn. Glad that the timing worked out so well. Yes, if we continue to eat when we are hungry and stop when we are satisfied, sometimes as we are more active, we will find ourselves hungry a bit more frequently. Though, I must say, when I have had my hardest fought tennis matches (like a tournament where I played singles and doubles and won and had to keep advancing, playing yet again!), I have ended up with “small” hungers…just some cashews and lots of water seem to have gotten me by until late in the day. When I am most active, I am not that hungry…until later. Then watch out! Katie bar the door! LOL!
LOL! Totally agree with you! The hunger doesn’t hit until later. Right after, I am too hot and thirsty to be hungry!
I definitely needed this post today. I was the never ever exercise ever ever ever person!
About 2 1/2 weeks ago I started walking and now I am finding that I want to do it all the time almost as a means of controlling or trying to aid the weight loss. I needed this today! I am going to be God Led in my exercise. I do feel it helps my body to feel better and to sleep better so I know it is good for me but I don’t want to be controlled by exercise.
Okay-this is a hard one. I am one of those people who exercises in a season of trying to lose weight but when I’m not I don’t do anything. (and I know I should for the sake of my health) Kinda an all or nothing approach. I have been walking this summer and doing a few strength DVDs and it has been really enjoyable. The problem I have, though, is if I can’t squeeze a walk or other workout into my day I start to get panicky! I SO love your posts for hitting the nail on the head. Blessings!
I had to add more after re-reading the post. My kids have “Just Dance” for our Wii. We have a blast! And let me tell you-that is one tough workout! Before I know it 30 min or more has gone by and I am out of breath so when you say Enjoy It I totally get what you mean. But in general it’s hard for me to get past the “Just Do It” mentality because I fell like to actually see results I HAVE to do it everyday 🙁
I love your story and I am similar, I won’t be mastered by exercise again, and so now I just love to exercise doing the things I love. That is usually walking, I do enjoy weights sometimes and sometimes a class at a gym or something. Lately this has been my favorite thing to do, it is a Christian girl who has been in the fitness world for years, but she helps women with their diastasis recti (the ab muscles that separate when you are pregnant) and all over wholesome workouts and relaxation techniques, my favorite part about it…I CAN DO IT BAREFOOT LOL!! It has all different types of exercises but she is gentle and fun and so far that is one of my favs other than walking. Here is her link http://fit2b.us/ 🙂
I have definitly been a Poo Bear.
I like 1 Timothy 4:8 as it puts excersise in its proper place. I know so many people who think that you have to be on a strict excersize program to loose wait, so not true, because excersize dose nothing to change our hearts or minds.
I enjoy walking, but must rely on the Holy Spirit to set my pace, stride, and duration of the walk. I have degenerative disc disease in my lower back and arthritis. Last summer, I pushed myself too hard and caused my body a lot of pain, which was quite debilitating. Now I walk for exercise and enjoyment, ignoring the world’s message that I must progressively push myself harder. I like to head out very early in the morning when it’s quiet and spend this time with God and nature. Each time I arrive back home after 20 minutes. God knows what my back can handle. I refuse to entertain any thoughts that I need to walk longer or take longer steps or walk faster. Doing this God’s way and enjoying my time with Him outdoors will never harm me the way listening to the world’s methods did. My God is awesome and I can always trust Him. 🙂
I’m still battling planters fasciitis in my left foot from walking on it three months ago….I can’t be on it it much. So frustrating and painful! =/ I’m riding my bike when I can. Smoke from the fires has limited me getting out do to having asthma…I love to be outdoors and hike,bike, take a nice walk with my husband…this has all changed with my foot injurie…God must have another plan. He is sovereign over all things in my life.
The verse that comes to mind is, Romans 8:26-28 ” Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses . For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
I covet your prayers for healing in my foot. In Jesus name amen.
LOVE the pooh video Heidi. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement for us all. = )