A Little Theology of Exercise

“…bodily training is of some value…” -1 Timothy 4:8

Beloved Kinney,

We rightly talk a lot about the importance of taking care of our souls—disciplining
ourselves to read the Bible, pray, go to church, fellowship with believers, etc. But I
wonder if, sometimes, in our emphasis on the importance of spiritual disciplines, we
neglect the importance of physical discipline—exercise, sleep, and diet.

Perhaps one reason why we neglect physical discipline is because we fail to see the
connection between our body and our soul. Have you noticed the difference it makes to
your mood when you don’t sleep well vs. when you get a full night’s rest? Or when you
eat poorly vs. when you’re eating healthy and in moderation? Or when you sit around a
lot vs. when you’re active and exercising.

I noticed this in myself over this summer on my sabbatical. One of the things I
committed myself to was better diet and exercise. And I can say with certainty, I notice
the effect these have on my mental state. I feel far less irritable, far less foggy, far less
discouraged. Of course, I cannot blame my own sin on not getting enough sleep or
eating poorly. But I can say that it’s much easier to give into sin when I’m not sleeping or
eating or exercising well!

David Mathis, in his helpful little book called A Little Theology of Exercise, puts it like
this, “Our bodies and souls are profoundly and mysteriously connected. What we do
with one can deeply affect the other. We train our souls through conditioning out bodies,
and what we do with our souls can greatly affect our bodies. This is why, as a pastor,
I’ve written this book on exercise for Christians: because what we do (and don’t do) with
our bodies does affect our faith, our minds, our joys, (with the whole range of our
emotions), and our wills (whether we’re willing and eager to exert our bodies to do
others good).” (pg. 13)

If you want a biblical rationale for exercise, pick up the book. For now, let me offer three
pieces of advice…

1) Start somewhere. Don’t try to commit to working out for an hour every day if you
don’t work out much now. Don’t buy a gym membership that you’ll stop using
after a few weeks. Start small. Just move your body. Go for a short walk or run
once per day. Do some jumping jacks and push-ups and sit-ups. Or just figure
out a way that helps you to move your body a bit!

2) Get help from YouTube. I’m sure you never thought you’d hear your pastor tell
you to watch YouTube, but let me tell you…it can be helpful with exercising! Just
type in something like: “10 Minute Cardio Workout” or “15 Minute Full-body
Workout.” It will keep your time for you and it doesn’t feel so overwhelming to
know, “I only have to do this for ten minutes! (WARNING: Some trainers dress
immodestly! Be mindful of that!)

3) Be consistent. Pick a time each day and stick to it. I learned that I have to get
up at 5am each day to have enough time to read my Bible, pray, read from a
Christian book, workout, and spend a little time with my family before I go to the
office. Follow a schedule and stick to it! You won’t regret it.

Bodily training isn’t the most important thing, but it’s also not nothing! So steward well
the body God has given you so that you might be more useful for the work he has here
for you until the body he’s given you stops working altogether!

Love,
Pastor Josh