Your Body is an Instrument
For the first part of 2021, we are unwrapping what it means to live soulfully—which includes the body, mind, and spirit.
My intention was to get into some of the nitty-gritty of fitness and nutrition in this post, but on a walk last week my mind traveled in another direction.
A direction I feel God is smiling on.
The internet is stuffed full of links, articles, research, and apps on every fitness and nutrition plan you could imagine.
So before I share my sliver in a pie bursting with options, let’s get to the heart of fitness and nutrition—the why!
Why are we eating healthy or not so healthy, trying to lose weight or bulk-up, running distances or stuck on the couch?
Do we have a vision greater than tight abs or a target number on the scale?
In Every Body Matters: Strengthening Your Body to Strengthen Your Soul, Gary Thomas challenges our culture’s fixation on viewing our bodies as ornaments rather than instruments for special purposes.
When we sing make me an offering, we acknowledge the connection between the body and the soul.
Our earthly bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, designed to do spiritual things!
Being healthy gives us the energy to play with our grandchildren, teach our class, Pastor our congregation, lead our team, go on a mission trip, help our neighbor, hold space for the music of another soul (or six), or labor to bring home food, shelter and security to our family.
Eric Liddell, missionary and winner of the 400 meters in the 1924 Olympics in Paris said:
And when I run, I feel His pleasure.
This glistening kind of sweat knows kingdom purposes are being worked out with each breath.
Our bodies were not made to be sculpted but tuned for service, to play in God’s orchestra!
A year after weaning my youngest I can look back and weep over the beauty of milk pouring out of me, off and on, for ten years to nourish each baby. Even as I struggled through those long nights my body was playing a divine song on repeat.
Retrospect reveals the holiness of these seasons.
Perhaps we error when we separate the soulful, spiritual and intangible, from the earthly, practical, and grounded…
Like the tears poured out for the prodigal child, both the salty and sacred collide—this is a soulful life.
As the Apostle Paul said I “offer my body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing!”
Every body does matter!
Let's get practical…
January is THE month to set (and break) weight and fitness goals.
But challenges persist. An injury or chronic health concern makes physical activity difficult, there is pressure in balancing a reasonable grocery budget while opting for healthy foods, or finding the time to address these areas between the demands of work and home life just feels like too much.
Our struggles and our desires are unique.
Gary Thomas says:
For most of our lives, we have emphasized growing our souls, not always realizing that a lack of physical discipline can undercut and even erode spiritual growth!
As challenging as it can be, caring for our physical bodies will assist in strengthening our souls so we can pour out God’s hope and healing.
FITNESS
When I wrote my personal list on the “soul care essentials” page for this month (get my Soul Care gift here) exercise was at the top!
Thomas unpacks how physical activity can lead to increased sensitivity to God's voice, renewed energy for God's work, greater joy for living, and a fortified soul better able and more willing to serve and love others. He says:
Swimming laps or doing Pilates won't substitute for regular study, prayer, and spiritual devotions, but taking off the shackles of laziness, overeating, and the physical debilitation brought about by ignoring our physical fitness can set our souls on a course of pursuing God with renewed vigor, earnestness, and delight.
With a dominant personality, I have an innate need to control so exercise releases tension and gives me time to think and gain a more balanced perspective. The endorphins give me energy and a sense of well-being.
Research confirms that 30 minutes of exercise is like a daily low dose of antidepressant!
Please know I recognize there are situations where medication is critical to one’s healing.
My natural mood booster is walking or biking in the summer and 30 minutes on my elliptical or using free weights with YouTube videos in the winter (along with outdoor walks, cross-country skiing, and ice-skating).
I like to record my workouts in an app as a marker to celebrate showing up for my health and future day after day!
NUTRITION
A doctor or dietician should be the one to offer guidelines for specific health and nutrition needs, but I'll share how basic science plays out in my own body.
I have gained and lost 35-55 pounds six times in the last decade without a magic pill.
I exercised throughout all months of my pregnancies in some form but found nutrition more of a struggle at times.
The simple fact has stayed the same through every diet fad: calories in need to be burned off. There really is no secret.
I am on a journey of recognizing when I go to food for comfort, distraction, celebration, control, etc., and know these are opportunities to turn and fix my eyes on Jesus and seek the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Thomas says:
…God does not want food or any other crutch to replace the role that He longs to have in my life.
There are valid objections to calorie counting but there is a place for it until reaching a goal and developing a healthy lifestyle.
By using an app like My Fitness Pal (no affiliation just appreciation) we can see the calories needed (based on weight, age, gender, and activity level) to maintain, lose or even gain weight.
Eating whole foods, especially those higher in protein, leave me more satisfied within the same calorie range.
This app has worked well to keep me accountable when I’ve needed to break out of a plateau.
Extreme diets set us up for greater falls so we need to approach our health decisions with a long-term vision.
Intermittent fasting is popular right now and boasts of many health benefits—see for yourself. I don’t usually skip any meals but find value in aiming to not eat after 6 PM until a late breakfast around 9 AM—with exceptions for special events and date nights of course! This helps me sleep well and gives my digestive system a rest.
Fasting is a discipline that reshapes our hearts as we turn to Jesus in our most desperate moments rather than food (or whatever it is we turn to).
My husband and I decided to cut out sugar for 40 days. I miss chocolate and sweets, but it is getting easier and physically I feel great 15 days into it! There is a struggle as I seek to shift my gaze to Jesus in triggering moments and I know He is doing His work slowly but surely in my heart.
While short-term practices can reset our bodies and souls, my goal is to lead a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable over the long haul with two simple practices: daily exercise and mindful eating.
However long God has our souls on earth, may we be wise in caring for our bodies—instruments tuned for kingdom purposes!
I would love to hear what you think about this idea of viewing your body as an instrument rather than an ornament…
What are your biggest wins or struggles in fitness and nutrition right now?
