“But if from there you seek the Lord your God,
you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Deuteronomy 4:29
One problem with the word “exercise” is that we associate it with “work.” It’s work to run on a treadmill, lift weights, do sit ups, etc. And while there is a long-range reward for persistent exercise, there is little immediate gratification. As a matter of fact, after a work out, you’re usually hot, sweaty, sore and completely worn out. Think about it: after you’ve just run for 45 minutes on the treadmill, you haven’t gained one inch of ground. You’ve been moving, but you’ve gone nowhere. Now, that’s just plain depressing. It makes it difficult to put your heart into it.
I think the key for non-exercise fanatics is to fit your workout seamlessly into your day. Personally, I need a tangible goal when I exercise.
When I walk, I need to have a purpose and a starting point and ending point. I need to be able to see change. For beginners like me, maybe it’s choosing to walk to the grocery store instead of driving. Walking to the library. Walking to a friend’s.
Oftentimes, exercise is as simple as daily living. Walking through a grocery story pushing a heavy cart is exercise. Doing laundry can be exercise, especially if your machines are in the basement. Gardening, mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, all of those are exercise.
Unlike running on a treadmill, do you think you’re exercising at the time? Probably not, but the point is you’re not sedentary and you reach a tangible goal. It’s much easier to put your heart into it.
You’re not merely running in place.
Comments 4
I love that scripture, Bren. And you’re right. Incorporating purpose ups the ante for desire in exercise.
Absolutely. Without purpose, other than the long-range goals, it’s difficult to find the motivation to exercise. Now give me a wooded path or a lake walk and *exercise* becomes a joy.
I’m successful at walking on the treadmill for half an hour ONLY because I use the time for prayer. Wow, talk about learning to develop your prayer life–half an hour sure did it for me! Since my hubby is vision-disabled and can’t drive, he walks every day to the grocery store for his half-hour. There’s always something we need to buy that makes the trip doubly worth-while. But like you, we’d sure prefer a walk through the woods!
Now that’s a good idea, Steph. I just need a treadmill in my house. 😉
I do like your husband’s exercise plan–It wouldn’t seem like exercise.