What Do You Really Enjoy Doing?

It is now about three weeks into the New Year. The typical week when resolutions go down the drain. But, no fear, this is not a message about the promises we made to ourselves or the reason for breaking them. Whew! No guilt trip here, ever. We're not about that.

Instead, let's just get it over with and honestly face the fact exercise is not a sweet pleasure for many women. There, we said it! In fact, it’s a painful drudgery for some of us. Oh, sure, when we were 20-something (before babies, that is) and had the fantasy that we could look like the latest magazine model, if we only put in the effort, the dream lasted for about three minutes while we squeezed into our Showpo or Princess Polly bikini.

How Muscles Can Kill Us

We're certainly not saying no one needs exercise just because we hate it. Because, unfortunately, without some kind of workout, our muscles will lose their strength and atrophy over time. We actually fail our own bodies. The point here is that we need to find what will actually work for us and get out there and enjoy movement.

We can begin by asking ourselves, what do I really enjoy doing that I don't think is exercise per se? And it's not a gym we are talking about. It's just anything that makes us move. It could be tennis, swimming, jumping rope, biking, hiking, or just simply walking. There are numerous fun activities we could do and many of them we can do with our kids, family, or friends.       

Spirit and Soul: BFFs

Find your quiet place

The good news is we have a human spirit that is “alive and well” inside our body. It “connects” with our soul, although separate. Our spirit is daily restored to a strong and fresh start each morning. We don’t need to go for a three-mile run to “wake up” our spirit--it is our “breath.”

Paradoxically, that breath of life gives us the energy to go on that daily run. Without paying attention to the spirit that drives us--that is alive in us--nothing will ever get done in our lives. When we ignore the very motivating force that directs our lives, we lose a life of purpose and significance.

We can experience a fresh start when we understand who motivates, encourages, directs, and protects us. That's a big "benefit package" he offers to us! He is the Holy Spirit of God. He is everywhere, knows everything and everyone, and is all-powerful. He lives in each one of us who has asked Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. Thankfully, he is given to us to be our Helper. We can never fail when our human spirits connect with the Holy Spirit of God.

Are we ready for a life-companion that cares about our every “movement” like no other?

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 2 Corinthians 4:16