By Emilie Gruben.
When you think of taking care of your body, you can find yourself eating healthier, going to sleep earlier, or maybe even running every day. Some of these may be a part of your natural lifestyle, while for others, the thought of them could be far from a personal reality. For me, I think I walk the line with a joyful awareness. I eat a good balance of foods, but perhaps more sweets than is ideal. I may walk more than others, so it could “cancel” out my extra muffin in the morning. I enjoy the junk food I consume, yet love to break a sweat and do my best to improve myself. Today, I will be giving you some statistics and points for exercise, in hopes to motivate you to pursue a more active and balanced lifestyle, or perhaps encourage you in the healthy habits you have, already!
The CDC stated that the ideal number of steps for adults ranges from 7-13,000 per day, with the recommended amount being 10,000. This number, 10,000, translates to about 3.5 to 4 miles of distance per day. I know that only a few of us are adults, but as we grow into young women, we really are considered into that demographic. These numbered goals aren’t necessarily as hard to reach for most of us, either. While we walk up and down stairs, put the dishes away, vacuum the house, and haul laundry baskets from room to room, we find ourselves walking as much if not more than our fathers, brothers, and those with “important” jobs.
These goals for steps are quite achievable with just a few tasks to be done, and even more so with a short walk through the neighborhood, laps around the backyard, or if you have access, a half hour on the family treadmill. Small portions of exercise like regularly walking and lifting small loads can do wonders for your body, as well as mind.
According to sources such as the Mayo Clinic, some of the benefits of regular exercise are control over your weight and physical capabilities, lowering the risk of health conditions and diseases later on in life, bettering sleep, and even improving your concentration and focus during the day. But perhaps greater than all of these, is the way that exercise changes your mind to see things differently.
Perhaps you’ve held a plank for a really long time, or walked for a few hours without many breaks. Chances are, you felt rather shaky and tired for a few minutes afterward, but when the general “rush” of the exercise fell back, you became more aware. You feel more awake. The world seems bigger. Maybe you were sad or angry before you went walking, and now you aren’t focusing on the emotions but the sun shining, the sweat on your forehead, the proud sensation of finishing that hard work, or even wearing yourself out, instead of feeling sorry for yourself or the situation. These outcomes are ones that really motivate me to exercise.
Exercise, though it can help us in many ways, like everything else in life, is not to be done for ourselves. Our bodies are not our own. They belong to God, our Creator. 1 Cor. 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” We are to uphold our bodies as God created them, with grace and love. These vessels which God made are blessings, and that to be cherished!
As we know that exercise most definitely affects our mind and attitudes, we must also remember how Christ has such an important role, especially. In 1 Timothy 4:8, “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” We cannot become so absorbed in how much we are able to lift, how long we can run, or how nice we look in the mirror, because this is not our home. As jewels and riches have no influence on our faith, neither can we let our habits hinder our relationship with God, even if they are healthy ones.
I hope that some of my words may have changed how you see exercise, interested you the slightest bit to go for a jog or a walk later this afternoon, or at least been a nice read. Thank you for reading, and may the Lord bless you with good health in both body and mind.
*Yes, this picture was most definitely chosen because the teddy graham looks like he's stretching. Sorry, not sorry. XD
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