If you want to be more like Jesus, then don’t be a couch potato. That’s what Rondie Wilks believes.
“I think Jesus was a very disciplined person in the flesh who ate properly and took care of His body,” said Wilks, a certified personal trainer and the wife of Bill Wilks, senior pastor of NorthPark Baptist Church, Trussville.
“If I want to be like Jesus, I’m going to discipline myself,” she said.
Wilks, who founded a fitness ministry called Living Fit, is among those urging Alabama Baptists to get more exercise, not only because it’s healthy but also because it’s biblical.
First Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.”
“If the body is God’s temple, should we not take care of it?” she asked.
But reports indicate most people aren’t. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates 68 percent of all Americans are overweight or obese, common results of poor diet and lack of exercise. And the state of Alabama is second in the nation for number of obese citizens.
Along with the perils of obesity (higher risks of chronic diseases, stroke, depression and other problems, according to the Mayo Clinic), the very act of not exercising can be hazardous, experts contend.
According to the Jan. 5, 2010, article “The Hidden Benefits of Exercise” in The Wall Street Journal, medical experts say not exercising is as great a health risk as smoking, resulting in an increased risk of heart disease, cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension and depression. Adults who weigh a normal amount but don’t exercise are still at greater risk of health problems, the article says.
Conversely, for adults who exercise regularly, the article reports a broad range of health benefits cited from the American College of Sports Medicine. Exercise can reduce the risk of stroke by 27 percent, the risk of recurrent breast cancer by about 50 percent, the risk of colon cancer by more than 60 percent, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by about 40 percent, incidences of high blood pressure by about 40 percent and incidences of diabetes by about 50 percent. It also can decrease depression as effectively as the drug Prozac or behavioral therapy. The article also points to research that says exercise can boost the body’s immune system, making it easier to fight off colds and the flu.
“I could go on and on about the benefits [of exercise],” said Wilks, who also noted that exercise helps increase muscle mass and bone density, which are especially important as adults age.
“Just because we get older doesn’t mean we have to lose flexibility and muscle mass,” she said.
Even with all its benefits, exercise didn’t come easy to Julie Morris, a registered nurse and founder of Guided By Him, a Christian weight loss program. “The E-word was something I absolutely didn’t want to do,” she said. “I was a couch potato diva and didn’t want to exercise. I always said I was too tired and weak to exercise.” But Morris discovered that exercising actually increased her energy. “I didn’t realize until after I started exercising consistently (that) I was tired because I didn’t exercise,” she said.
Sarah Morris Cherry, a family therapist who is Morris’ daughter, said exercise also improves a person’s mood because of the release of feel-good brain chemicals called endorphins. “Exercise is the best way to improve your mood besides seeking God,” she said.
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recommends adults get at least two hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week unless limited by a chronic condition. The guidelines recommend spreading the exercise throughout the week, and it can be done in as short as 10-minute increments.
Morris and Wilks emphasize that for those who are inactive, starting an exercise routine should be done slowly, perhaps starting with five minutes a day five days a week and adding five minutes each week to progressively build up to the desired level of fitness. Wilks added that people who smoke or have conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes should consult a doctor beforehand.
“People will begin and one minute is so hard for them,” she said. “But in a couple of weeks, we do two-minute intervals, then three-minute intervals, and after awhile, my clients are burning 1,000 calories in a workout when before they couldn’t stay on for a minute.”
And exercise doesn’t have to be hard core, Wilks added, noting it can be as simple as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, jumping rope, doing push-ups or even walking. Finding an exercise partner also helps with consistency, she said.
“A lot of times people say, ‘I don’t have time,’” Wilks said. “What I say is, ‘You make time to do things that are important to you.’”
If serving God is important to you, then exercise should be, too, Morris said. “Many of us can’t complete the things He’s called us to do because we’re not well enough,” she said. “I know He wants us to take care of our bodies so we can do the things He has called us to do.”
Wilks added that the discipline developed in exercise can be applied to spiritual matters as well and it is all a gift from God.
“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength,” she said. “I can be disciplined because of the gift He’s given me.”
For more information about Living Fit, visit www.livingfitonline.com. For more information about Guided by Him, visit http://guidedbyhim.com.
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