Get ready to be challenged for the better.
In his groundbreaking devotional, 40 Days of Better, Coach Alex VanHouten ties the often vain attempts at modern health and fitness practice to the eternal truth of the Gospel — inspiring humility and action in the daily way we steward our mortal bodies for the glory of God’s immortal kingdom.
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An excerpt from the book
This is a very good question. I’m glad you asked!
Actually, it’s the central question of this entire devotional. I’ve wrestled with exactly this question for 20 years as a Christian Personal Trainer helping thousands of clients change their lives for the BETTER through physical health and fitness.
As a belief system, Christianity is about the eternal salvation of our spiritual selves through faith in Jesus Christ.
This is the “good news” of the Gospel: Through faith in Him and the declaration of His lordship, anyone can be born again and go to heaven! Saved in Jesus name.
Amen!
Notice, I wrote “spiritual self” a moment ago.
In this Gospel-minded way of living, we understand that our temporary physical bodies will pass away while our eternal spirits will live forever.
So why, ultimately speaking, should we invest any time or energy in this life into making the most of our physical bodies?
Isn’t it – as the writer of Ecclesiastes would say – “VANITY” to exercise regularly, learn how to feed ourselves nutritiously, and cultivate good lifestyle habits?
Actually, no it’s not VANITY – not at all.
While much of the health and fitness industry has appealed to the worst in our nature through VANITY for as long as I’ve been a trainer and longer, true fitness is anything but VAIN.
If you’re a Christian, the health and fitness of your physical self is inextricably tied to your struggle to manifest the fruits of your spiritual rebirth.
That is to say, your unfit, untrained physical self is an impediment to developing your spiritual self.
The apostle Paul identified this as a brutal struggle between “the desires of the flesh” and “the desires of the spirit” in Galatians 5:17 and further articulated the conundrum in his famous lamentation in his letter to the church in Rome:
”I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.. wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” – The Apostle Paul | Romans Chp. 7
So, what does this have to do with losing 30lbs or running a 5k or beating diabetes or improving your sleeping habits?
How about this.
The only goals worth pursuing in health and fitness are the ones that bring your flesh into alignment with your spirit.
Take a moment and think back on a time when your physical body kept you from doing that which you knew to be right or Good in your spirit.
When was the last time you didn’t do something you knew you should because you “didn’t have the energy”?
What about the last time you gave into a physical craving that made your spirit feel guilty?
Has your physical body ever been the reason that you treated people in your life poorly, or worse, the reason that you couldn’t show up for them in the way you know they needed you to?
As a Christian, when your physical body is out of alignment with the mission of your spirit it becomes — at the very least — an obstacle to your great commission.
It’s hard to “Go forth and make disciples of all nations” when you’re grumpy, in pain, craving garbage, and generally lazy due to your own poor management of your physical body.
Even worse, though, is that your physical body can too easily become an idol. A sinful taskmaster demanding your constant attention and focus in place of your service to The Most High. One extreme being the insatiable consumption of overly-tasty foods (aka Gluttony) and a commitment to avoiding pain through numbing substances or lack of challenge (aka Sloth) while the other end of the spectrum is a jealousy in seeing the outward appearance of others (aka Envy) and a slavish adherence to an arbitrary nutrition and exercise regimen in order to be proud of our own outward appearance (Pride).
However, when your physical self is aligned in its actions with the ultimate purposes of your life, it becomes an asset to your spiritual self.
The truth I’ve learned through my own journey and the journeys of my Christian clients over the years is this:
Your body is a gift – created for you by God. The ultimate health and fitness goal – the only one worth pursuing – is to become a good steward of the body you’ve been given.
While the daily practice of this truth can be pretty complicated depending on the current condition of your corporeal gift right now – some of us were dealt a more difficult hand than others – this truth is very simple.
My prayer for you is threefold over the next 40 days
(1) That you will recognize the awesome blessing you’ve been given in your body.
(2) That you will commit to the lifelong process of stewarding your physical self in ever-closer alignment with your spiritual self.
(3) That through the BETTER DAILY philosophy and the disciplines introduced in these devotionals, you will be well on your way to making the most of the body you’ve been given. 1% Better. Daily!
Before we get started, let’s address the elephant in the room.
Why should you listen to a trainer about matters of ultimate significance?
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