i go through seasons where i work out regularly, and then others where i am kind of terrible about working out. last spring i got into a great groove and was running regularly, and i did a pretty good job of sticking to a routine as summer hit. and then, as fall approached, my workouts got more sporadic. but when i started the whole30 a few weeks ago, i knew i needed to get back into a solid workout schedule.
while working out regularly makes me feel good physically, i also have realized how important it is for my mental and spiritual life. this past summer, i shared about how i love working out to my upbeat worship playlist (and even shared that playlist with you!), and when i got away from regular sweat sessions, i also got away from spending that time with jesus, and caring for the body that god gave me! i don't know about you, but if i'm being honest, i don't always love this body. i wish i did, but so often i look in the mirror and wish it looked differently. however, as i'm working out and focusing on treating my body well, i'm realizing just how amazing our bodies are!
we are meant to use our bodies to worship the lord, no matter what we're doing. and i think so often that we don't consider exercise to be a form of worship. but the reality is that taking care of our bodies honors god, and we can find unique ways to tie our spiritual lives into our workouts! with lent approaching, it's a great time to be intentional about marrying fitness and jesus, and one of the ways that i'm personally excited to do that is by working my way through vaulter fit's spiritual fitness lent devotional!
i'm so excited to jump into this 40 day journey and i can't wait to focus on strengthening both my body and my spiritual life. kristin and samantha, the girls behind vaulter fit, have such a heart for combining ministry and fitness, and it's such a rare thing to find! their ministry is founded on 1 timothy 4:8, which says that "...physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things...", and these girls have written a devotional packed with practices to nourish your heart and your body.
each dated entry unpacks a portion of scripture, and then also has a workout to go with it. and the devotional also comes with a workout guide, with photos showing you how to do every move! the scripture readings are taken from the catholic lectionary, but i think that any christian would get a ton out of these forty days. if you're looking for a way to combine your spiritual life with your fitness routine, this is a great place to start.
do you have a devotional for the lenten season? do you combine your spiritual life and your fitness routine in some way?
i was given the spiritual fitness devotional by vaulter fit as a preview, but all opinions in this post are totally my own! thanks to vaulter fit for partnering with heavens to betsy!
That's such a cool devotional idea. What awesome ladies with great creativity!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy this so much!
I also go through work-out spells. My problem is that I only look at fitness as a way to get skinny...so when I feel like I cannot accomplish my goals, I just say "well, people love me even when I'm not skinny...and I want this hotdog too" and I throw in the towel. lol.
Lately I have been trying to remember that I am taking care of my body for my Creator who gave it to me too. I'm still working at it, but it's a much better outlook.
Kristin // athisfeetdaily.blogspot.com
Haha I totally understand where you're coming from! It's so easy for me to get discouraged when I'm not seeing results and to give in to my bad-food cravings in that discouragement! I'm working on changing my perspective and I think it will really help to look at exercise as a way to care for my "temple" and not just a means to getting skinny!
ReplyDeleteHaha I totally understand where you're coming from! It's so easy for me to get discouraged when I'm not seeing results and to give in to my bad-food cravings in that discouragement! I'm working on changing my perspective and I think it will really help to look at exercise as a way to care for my "temple" and not just a means to getting skinny! Good luck on your journey!!
ReplyDeleteThis devotional sounds like a really neat idea! I have a hard time staying on track with the exercising routines. I've always struggled with it. I hate it. Lol! But I love the idea of exercising and devotions being together. :) thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou too! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThat is so neat! I'm still working on my physical work-out routine, but linking it with spiritual disciplines is a really good idea. Thanks Betsy!
ReplyDeleteThis looks really interesting! I'm always trying to combine the two.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great concept of combining the two. I am like you...I look join the mirror and I'm not always pleased with what I see but then I think of what this body has accomplished and I try to let the superficial things go.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great idea! I love it!
ReplyDeleteThat's such a cool way to combine the two. I've never put a whole lot of thought into how they'd be connected. I really need to get back into a fitness routine.
ReplyDeleteI am really interested in this devotional!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting devotional spin - - I find that while working out of course benefits my body, but really my mind is equally benefited from just sweating it out!
ReplyDeleteWe believe our bodies to be temples, which is why we have the Word of Wisdom (no coffee/tea/wine, moderation, etc) and why we are moderate with piercings, modest, and no tatoos. But part of the word of wisdom has to do with being healthy.
ReplyDeleteThis is really a tough balancing act. In the mornings I want to work out AND do a devotional but my time really doesn't allow for it to happen unless I go to bed at 9pm. I love this devotional. It's such a great idea.
ReplyDeleteOh this is so interesting! I totally find that when I'm working out, my spiritual life is so much better. I just think we ought to use exercise as a form of worship!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting concept! I love combining the spiritual and physical in my yoga practice. I know that can be a sticky subject for some people since yoga is traditionally not a *Christian* spiritual practice, but I know that for me it's a great way to focus the mind on the Lord. And it's amazing strength and flexibility training!
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of putting the two together. I've never seen a devotional guide like this. Very cool.
ReplyDelete