Working out those resolutions

By far the most common New Year’s resolution made each year is the one to lose weight and get in shape. According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, the two most popular resolutions among the Americans who make them are to lose weight and exercise. And according to surveys done by the General Nutrition Center, 55 percent of Americans resolve to eat healthier, 50 percent to exercise more and 38 percent to lose weight.
   
Helping individuals across Alabama as they strive toward such fitness-related resolutions are various Baptist churches that offer exercise classes, weight-loss programs, and the use of family life centers and gymnasiums. Those churches report that participation in those activities have definitely increased since the new year.
   
At Mountain Brook Baptist Church, Birmingham, Minister of Students Jeff Greer said there have been more people taking advantage of their church’s gymnasium and fitness room since the beginning of January than usual. “I have seen more people in our fitness room than before Christmas,” Greer said. “I think that is definitely a result of the new year beginning and people wanting to get into shape.”
   
Greer said his church recently added a Nautilus Elliptical Trainer and a Nautilus Recumbent Bike to its facilities. “It was a great idea to add a brand new piece of equipment at this time of year,” he said.
   
More than the usual participants have been taking advantage of fitness facilities at Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville as well. According to Recreation Director Debbie Milner, “January is by far our biggest month.” She finds that many church and community members use their facilities more at the start of the year than at other times.
   
Whitesburg offers a variety of programs and facilities for those interested in keeping in shape. Their programs are so varied, in fact, that there are options for just about anyone — no matter what their interest is.
   
“We have several different types of classes including aerobics, ballet, even martial arts,” Milner said. “We also offer softball leagues and an Upward sports program, which includes soccer, basketball and flag football.”
   
The church’s recreation facilities house these different classes and league play; it also includes a walking track and two full-court gyms.
   
Mountain Brook Baptist Church also has extensive recreation facilities and opens them to both church members and the public. “We have a gymnasium and fitness room, and the gymnasium is an incredible outreach tool because we allow local teams to use our gym for practices and we charge just a small fee to help us maintain and upgrade our facilities,” Greer said. “We also open our gym up at times to open play. Anyone can come in and play pick-up basketball games.” The church currently has two men’s teams, a high school boys team, a junior high boys team, a fifth and sixth grade boys team, and a first and second grade co-ed team.
   
For those individuals resolving to get back in shape in a more personal way (instead of through team sports), the facilities host various fitness classes and programs. The fitness room has a number of top-of-the-line exercise machines, and the church has an ongoing “Senior Stretch” class for senior adults.
   
More and more Baptist churches are finding that recreation facilities and ministries are excellent tools to enhance church members’ lives and to reach out to those in the community. The proliferation of such ministries emphasizes the importance that Christians today are placing on their physical health.
   
Physical health, after all, is an issue that goes hand in hand with spiritual health. The Bible stresses the importance of taking care of one’s health, and Baptist leaders often point this out to members.
   
Milner said she believes that God intends for Christians to take care of themselves physically. “God expects us to take care of the body He has given us and to do that we must exercise,” she said. “If we don’t take care of our bodies we won’t be around to serve Him where He has placed us in His world.”
According to Rick Patrick, pastor of Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church in Hueytown, resolutions to get in shape for the new year are admirable. “Many resolutions can be healthy and also very spiritual,” he said. “Things like more exercise and fewer candy bars are good resolutions to make.”
   
How, then, does someone resolve to lose weight and exercise more — and actually stick with the resolution? The answer may be in a combination of spiritual resolve and physical perseverance.
   
Patrick said that all resolutions, including those that relate to physical health, must be done with the right attitude. Resolutions, he said, will fail if they “simply reflect your own selfish ambition and desires.”
   
Milner said the key to sticking with goals that revolve around losing weight or getting back into shape is to persevere with your plan and also to be practical. “Be committed to exercise and make it a lifelong habit, not just something you do in January,” she said. “And pick a diet that is doable for you. Moderation is often the key.”