Fitness and Faith – Take the Challenge!

What does physical fitness have to do with spiritual growth? More than you might think!

As an avid walker, I’ve learned that adding muscle-building exercises is vital, especially since muscle mass declines sharply in your sixties. Lifting weights is not my favorite exercise, but I’m doing it anyway because, as longevity expert Dr. Peter Attia says, physical fitness “determines how you will live out the rest of your life.” Similarly, spiritual formation shapes our faith. The two are not separate but deeply interconnected, and here is how they can grow together:

1. Steward Your Body as God’s Temple

Our body and spirit are not separate entities but parts of our unified whole created by God. Caring for the body through exercise and healthy habits reflects stewardship of the temple of the Holy Spirit. It enables us to serve God and others with greater vitality and focus. The Apostle Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (CSB): “…your body is a temple of the Holy…So glorify God with your body.”

2. Build Discipline for Body and Spirit

Regular workouts can cultivate spiritual virtues like perseverance and self-control. They reflect the discipline required for prayer or fasting. As John Paul II noted, “The body, in fact, and only the body, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine” (Theology of the Body, 1997). This understanding empowers us to build discipline for both our body and spirit, fostering a determined approach to our physical and spiritual growth.

3. Strengthen Worship Through Resilience

Fitness enhances mental clarity and emotional resilience, creating space for deeper communion with God. Activities like running or walking, when approached mindfully, can spark gratitude for God’s creation. By maintaining physical health, we honor God’s design. Psalm 139:14a (CSB) declares, “I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made,” highlighting the wonder of our physical bodies and the importance of caring for them.

A healthy body fights both mental and physical fatigue. Scholars like Kenneth L. Cooper in Faith-Based Fitness (1995) emphasize that physical wellness supports spiritual vitality, as a healthy body sustains the energy needed for worship, service, and meditation on God’s Word.

Challenge: What one step can you take today to boost your physical and spiritual health?

Let’s not wait but take immediate action to enhance our well-being and spiritual growth. The journey starts with a single step, and today is the perfect day to take it.

On the Journey We Share podcast, Kayleigh and I discuss spiritual disciplines. You can
listen to them on your morning walk or watch while you’re on the treadmill.