
The opinion of the fitness industry is that our self-care practices should be an ode to ourselves and those we love, figuratively speaking. A devotion to better being and quality of life. While there is no inherent wrong in attempting to improve your well-being for these purposes, is this as far as it all goes for the believer? Our lives, in essence, are dedicated to God because he’s bought them with his own blood. By submitting ourselves to him, we aim to elevate him in our day-to-day lives. Much of which includes our self and health care practices.
Self-care is a matter of stewardship. Our mental and physical health can be ruined or enhanced, valued or neglected. The measure of health God has allotted us in any area is a gift from God. To do anything but steward it well through proper care, is to take it for granted. In this article, I want to address how we can be more God-centric in our approach to health and fitness. You will find that it is both practical and more effective to do so.
For His Glory

Our intentions are important to God and have a heavy influence on our actions. Why we do something will determine how hard we try, what we do, and for how long. Rather than making health and fitness about the clothes you wear or your mile time, consider making it about God. How so, you ask? Imagine a life without breathing, a heartbeat, or the activity of your limbs. You can’t, right? Well, it is not for nothing that God has provided these abilities to you. God is the source of all life and strength. Therefore, we must honor him in how we use our lives and strength.
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ - Mark 12:30
Consider who you are doing all that you are doing on your health journey for. Whether you are doing well or struggling to be more disciplined, who are your current eating habits devoted to? Whose glory do you aim to display? Who are you desiring to please? Who are you offering these habits to? If not God first, then who? This matters deeply.
Bring Him In

One of the most practical ways we can place Christ at the center of our health journeys is by including him in every aspect. When you eat, pray before the meal. This is one example most are familiar with, but it goes further. When you workout, you can listen to Christian music. You can listen to the Word while you do cardio. You can make him a part of every aspect through prayer and praise. We often consider some of the more tedious tasks on our health journeys, such as meal prep, as chores. But with the Lord, they become an opportunity. Praising God for the food you are preparing, playing worship music, praying over the food you are making. It all encompasses a loving relationship with the Lord. I implore you to commune with God on your health journey. It changes everything about it.
Your Witness

Include your family in what you are doing. It pleases the Lord to see you become the example he’s called you to be. By showing your spouse, friends, and/or children what it looks like to care well for God’s temple, you open the door for positive influence and gospel conversation.
For “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ - Acts 17:28
My career and lifestyle of good health practices have blessed my kids. They want to do what I do, so they exercise and eat well like me. This isn't to toot my own horn but to demonstrate how our lifestyles impact those around us. This, in turn, affects the Lord. We not only serve people by what we do for them but by how we live in front of them. Can those God has placed in your life watch you and imitate what you do? Would they get healthier or sicker? Draw closer to God or remain stagnant in their relationship with Him? Your witness is one major way your health journey brings the Lord glory. Simply by being intentional with how you care for your body (his temple), as a Christian, you include the Lord. We are his representatives on the Earth.
Set Godly Goals

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to lose 50 lbs, fit into your old clothes, or grow healthier overall. Those could all be God-glorifying in some way. The problem is in our chasing after goals rather than God. On your health journey, there are things God wants to do. Parts of you he wishes to reshape beyond your external frame. He is sanctifying you, which means every aspect of your life is a part of the process. By obsessing over the scale or watching the mirror day after day as you desperately seek change, you become distracted from what God is truly focused on in your life. Your sense of identity, your patience, your trust in him, even your ability to follow through on your word. These affect multiple parts of your life and are much more important than physical attributes.
I often tell my fitness coaching clients, “If the scale is at the center of your health journey, Christ can’t be.” Godly goal makes room for the Lord, by his Holy Spirit, to work in you the changes he knows you need most. So maybe that 21-day fix isn't the best idea because God just wants you to focus on incorporating more fruits for more than 21 days. Maybe your 60 minutes of cardio isn’t what he wants because he’d rather you learn to move your body functionally through other forms of exercise.
Be open to the approach God wants you to take. It will likely require you to step outside of your comfort zone, but that’s often where freedom and growth lie.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
As always, thank you for reading today. If you felt this was valuable, please share this blog with someone you love. Together, we can grow and show the Lord's glory on the earth. I aim to help you become a shining beacon of light through your health journey for this cause.
If you're having a hard time on your health journey and would like to discuss coaching or program options built for lasting change, send me an email at matt@fitcoachus.com.

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