Faith and Fitness

A lot of my goals for 2011 involved two major areas - faith and fitness.  These seem to be at the top of a lot of people's lists.  I think it's because most of us struggle with them so much.  They are also two of the most important goals we can have.  I often tell women at the gym I manage, it's not selfish to take time to take care of yourself, because we can't give what we don't have.

I think that what makes these goals seem hard to reach is that neither faith nor fitness just happen - both require us to be intentional.  We have to make time for them and make them a priority.  We have to have discipline to work toward these goals. In a lot of ways, these goals are very similar, and I've found a lot resources recently that combine the two.  Here are a few favorites that I'm incorporating into my daily routines...

PraiseMoves
Years ago, in high school and college, I tried yoga and loved it, but as I started learning more about the background of it, I just wasn't comfortable with it anymore.  Then I found PraiseMoves.  PraiseMoves is a Christian alternative to yoga.  The creator tells about her yoga background and how she came to start this new workout on her website.  She has several DVD's available.  You get a great, relaxing workout, while praying, meditating on God's Word, and memorizing scriptures.  You won't be disappointed!

Fit Bands
I just won a Fit Band (thanks Julia!) and I can't wait to get it!  I thought this was such an awesome idea.  Fit Bands are wristlets you can wear during your workout - you can attach Fit Cards to them so you can pray, memorize scriptures, and have devotional time while you work out.  It will be perfect for those time-crunched mornings that I know I'll have when I (hopefully) start dental hygiene school this summer.

Audio books/podcasts are perfect to listen to as you work out.  I have a playlist of some of my favorite Christian songs (Third Day, Superchick, dcTalk, etc.) that I sometimes listen to as I work out, but I never thought about the podcasts.  I plan to download some from my favorite teachers and listen to some as I run.

I'm really excited about the goals I've set for myself in the areas of faith and fitness.  I've even more excited as I see how I can work towards both at the same time and as I see the progress I'm making.  My husband is joining me in some of my fitness goals, so I'm excited to have him on board as an accountability partner in this.