When the author of 3 John wrote that his prayer for the early believers was to “enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well” (3 John 1:2), he emphasized a connection between body and spirit that Bobby Butler teaches daily.
Butler, minister of recreation at Spring Hill Baptist Church, Mobile, in Mobile Baptist Association, works with a large number of senior adults in the church’s fitness facilities. He believes that both physical and spiritual exercise can make a positive difference in the lives of older adults.
“Fitness and spiritual values are the easiest to let go, but they make all the difference in the world,” he said. “Our muscles are there but in order for them to maintain their strength, they need to be worked. The same is true in our spiritual walk. If we don’t exercise the spiritual disciplines of prayer and Bible study, our devotional time is not going to be as good as it needs to be.”
Exercise physiology has proven that everyone needs to get cardiovascular and strength training, Butler said. According to the article “Growing Stronger — Strength Training for Older Adults” from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site, even older adults with conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, back pain, osteoporosis and depression often benefit from lifting weights a few times each week.
When included in a regular exercise program that also includes aerobic exercise, strength training “can also have a profound impact on a person’s mental and emotional health,” the Web site states.
Strength training also can improve balance and flexibility as an individual ages. “Strengthening exercises, when done properly and through the full range of motion, increase a person’s flexibility and balance, which decrease the likelihood and severity of falls,” according to the CDC.
Butler encourages older adults to start with just five minutes of extra walking every day. Most individuals will find that the extra activity feels good and they will want to do more, he said. He compares physical walking to the spiritual walk, saying, “The more active we are, the better we feel.”
Butler said when seniors maintain their strength, they can enjoy a better quality of life. He remembers one older man who was learning to use a new strength-training machine. A friend walked by and asked what he was doing. Without hesitation the man said, “I’m just going to be able to lift my grandchildren when I’m older.”
Butler believes God wants individuals to take care of their physical bodies, not only for quality of life but also to maintain the ability to serve. “The better fit we are, the better fit we are to serve. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, but we need to be good stewards of the body God has given us.”
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