When you are a busy mom finding time to work out can sometimes feel daunting. Raising kids requires getting them to school, daycare, and after-school activities on time. It requires planning meals for them, helping them with homework, and taking time to worship as a family. With these responsibilities stacked on top of other household and professional responsibilities we have as adults and mothers, it is no surprise that our own physical health can sometimes take a back seat. However, a good workout routine doesn’t have to take hours and there are plenty of great functional exercises that help moms increase their quality of life to raise their children and worship God for a long time. These three exercises are the perfect routine to help busy moms add exercise to their busy day.

THRUSTERS

This is one of my favorite exercises for functional fitness. We use the motions in thrusters daily, from lifting our kiddos to emptying the dishwasher and putting the dishes in the overhead cabinet.  Strengthening these muscle groups with these movements will increase our quality of life both short-term and long-term.

1. With your hands stationary in the original position, squat down until your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
2. Once you are in this position, immediately fire up to standing, extending your arms straight overhead, in full extension as you stand.
3. Squat back down, bringing your arms back down to the original position, right above your shoulders. And repeat.

Try to make this movement as fluid and explosive as possible, fully extending your arms each time, and keeping your core tight and hips tucked in when you’re in the full standing position. 

If you are just starting your exercise journey take it slow and focus more on getting the form right over workout intensity.

To increase the intensity, add a dumbbell in each hand you can go as light or heavy as you can, making sure not to compromise the form of the movement.

For an even more advanced workout, you can use a barbell with plates and increase your weight that way. Again, make sure whatever weight you use, you maintain proper form to reduce the risk of injury.

PLANK PULL THROUGH

This is another great function movement that helps to stabilize the core, helps moms improve balance (a huge factor in our quality of life as we age and still want to play with our kids), and strengthens our back and shoulders.

Place your palms and toes on the floor, and make sure your legs are fully extended, with your feet either side by side or you can have them about hip-width apart (to help with stabilization).  Your head should be relaxed and looking at the floor. Have one dumbbell (try to go heavier with the weight if you can) on the floor on the outside of your right wrist.

With your left hand, grab the dumbbell and slide it across the floor until it is to the outside of where your left wrist was resting on the floor. Once your left hand is back in its original position,  use your right hand, grab the dumbbell that is now on the left, and slide it back to the right where it was originally. Keep doing this, sliding the weight back and forth from the left and right with your opposite hands.

Be sure to keep your core engaged, and your hips tight and as stable as you can. You want to try to keep your lower body as still as possible during this movement, only moving your arms and shoulders.

If you are a beginner, you can do this movement from a knee plank position and use a lighter dumbbell.

For a more advanced workout they can lift the opposite foot off the ground opposite from the hand that is on the ground. If the right hand is on the ground to stabilize, raise the left leg while the left arm pulls the weight across. Then put that leg down and raise the other leg with the opposite arm is stabilizing.

WEIGHTED DEAD BUGS

This is another movement that helps to stabilize the core and works for multiple muscle groups at once.

Lay on your back, with your core tight your back as flat to the floor as possible, and your legs raised and at a 90-degree angle. To ensure you are in the correct position, see if you can put your hand between your lower back and the floor. If you can, you’re core isn’t engaged. Adjust your abs and back so you cannot get your hand between the floor and your lower back.

Once you are in the correct position, extend your arms straight up in the air. Slowly lower your right arm over your head to the floor while you are extending your left leg all the way to the floor.

Try to hover both above the floor without touching it if you can. Then raise your right arm and left leg back to their starting positions and extend your left arm to the floor while extending your right leg. You are always moving your opposite appendages simultaneously.

Beginners can do this exercise using only their body weight, adding dumbbells to the routine once you improve your fitness.

For a more advanced option, add a dumbbell in each hand and perform the movement the same way. 

WE USE EXERCISES TO BETTER WORSHIP GOD

When I am working with moms to reach new goals on their fitness journey it is important to remind ourselves that our faith is a constant influence in our spiritual and physical health. Two verses come to mind when discussing the importance of maintaining our health in service to God.

Psalm 139:14 states “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know full well.”

1 Corinthians 6:19,20 states “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; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

These two passages compel us to take the utmost care of our bodies. The Lord took the time to create every one of us in a unique and special way and then paid the ultimate price for us on the cross. Sacrificing his body is the reason why we have a responsibility to take the best care of ourselves. Exercises are the best way to take care of our physical body and a small way to thank God for his sacrifice.

We are entrusted with one body in this life and we must be good stewards of our physical form. We are taking care of the temple that God thoughtfully created. Don’t take that responsibility lightly.

Simply put, how we treat our bodies both in the ways we exercise and the foods we eat reflects our attitude toward God’s creation. Remember that whenever you exercise or cook for your family. Our physical health helps bring us closer to God and shows our children that there is a relationship with God through physical health.

The post 3 Functional Exercises To Help Busy Moms appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

Natural bodybuilder Michael Wittig has an outdoor workout loaded with big benefits.

It’s too easy to stay in our comfortable surroundings and never venture out. The fear of having to learn something new, do extra work, or ultimately fail may be the cause. The thing we have to remember is that God is always with us so how can we fail? Having the ability to go to your home gym is a blessing. You have access to your favorite machines and be able to chat with your friends between sets. You know where everything is and it’s comfortable. The question I want to ask you is what do you do when the gym is unavailable?

Do you just skip the workout or find a way to get the job done? What if I told you the ability to workout intensely does not reside in a location, but in your heart and mind. You can get a quality workout in anywhere, anytime if you have your mind set to get it done.

One of the best places to get the heart rate going is in the beautiful outdoors. This is especially true if you have a busy schedule and cannot make it to the gym, or traveling. Outdoor workouts are also great during deload (recovery) weeks and just changing up your routine for something fresh.

In addition to getting your workout in there many great benefits to being outdoors including: 

• Improves mood
• Reduces stress
• Strengthen immunity
• Boosts energy
• Clears skin
• Improves Sleep
• Reduce inflammation
• And much more

While it’s easy enough to get a great outdoor workout using just our body weight with movements like push ups, burpees, and lunges, there is also a way to get a muscle building, gym quality workout using resistance bands. They are inexpensive, easy for travel, and can provide enough resistance to challenge you for most movements. I recommend picking up a set of bands with handles that come in a variety of resistance levels from light, for movements like lateral raises, to very heavy for back rows and curls. Using a little creativity you can replicate most dumbbell and cable movements anywhere you find yourself. Complement your push ups with this outdoor banded shoulder workout that will set your delts on fire. 

Resistance Band Shoulder Workout Outdoor Edition

When working shoulders it’s important to touch on each of the three muscle heads:

• anterior
• medial
• posterior

When working with minimal equipment like bands exercise order can be important to get an effective workout. Rest 60-90 seconds between each set. Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps for each movement.

BANDED LATERAL RAISE

This is an isolation movement that targets the medial head of the delts. In the gym one would normally do this movement after a heavy compound exercise like overhead presses. When working outdoors with bands the lateral raise is a great movement to get started with in order to pre-exhaust the shoulders so you can press effectively with lighter resistance. 

How to do it: Stand in the middle of a lighter resistance band holding each handle with your arms straight down at your sides. As you raise your arms up to shoulder height, work to keep your elbow slightly higher than your hand and your thumb point more downwards. Think about raising your elbows out rather than lifting your shoulders upward. You want to isolate the shoulders and try to keep your traps out of it. Then slowly lower your arms. 

Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps

BANDED OVERHEAD PRESS

Now that the shoulders are warmed up with the lateral raises, let’s move on to this classic compound movement that works the anterior and medial head of the delts as well as the triceps. 

How to do it: Stand in the middle of a medium to heavy resistance band. Grab the handles and lift your arms up to get into starting position. Your upper arms should be parallel to the ground and your palms facing forward. Keep your core tight and your chest lifted up. Press your arms straight upward and lower slowly back to starting position. 

Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps

SHORT ON TIME? Another way to do this workout when in a time crunch is to do Giant Sets. Do each of these movements back-to-back without rest for one giant set. Rest 90 seconds then repeat. Do 3-4 giant sets for a challenging workout. 

BANDED UPRIGHT ROW

This is a great movement to work the front delt/pec tie in, side delts, and trapezius. Do this with a wider hand placement to work the medial head of the shoulders slightly more. 

How to do it: Stand in the middle of a medium resistance band holding each handle with your arms straight down in front of your thighs. Keeping your elbows high, raise your hands to the sides of your lower chest. Your elbows should be higher than your hands. Slowly lower your hands back to the starting position. 

Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps

BANDED PULL BACKS

Working the posterior head of the shoulder is important for muscular and aesthetic balance. This is a great movement to isolate that rear delt head. 

How to do it: Grab a light to medium band shoulder width apart, or slightly less than. Hold your arms straight out in front of you shoulder height. While keeping your arms straight with palms downward, pull your arms apart until they are straight out at your sides. Then slowly return to the starting position. Adjust the space between your hands to get the resistance at a challenging level. 

Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps

RESISTANCE BAND TIPS:

• Where you stand on the band will greatly affect the resistance. Stand with your feet together for a lighter lift, step on the band in a wider stance to increase the resistance.
• If you are exceptionally strong at specific movements you can use two bands to dramatically increase the resistance. 
• Bands can be wrapped around secure objects like poles, trees, or heavy furniture to unlock many more movements. Many band kits will come with a door attachment for indoor use as well. 
• Respect the bands and be careful how you use them. While snapping yourself may not cause critical harm, it doesn’t feel very good. 

TRAINING YOUR MIND AND HEART OUTDOORS

One of the best things about training outdoors is that it puts you in a bigger place that is more open often with less noise and distractions. That makes your workout more conducive to focusing you mind and heart on God. Instead of putting on the headphones or earbuds just let the quieter sounds of the outdoors be the background that helps your spirit to be quieter too.

Our bodies are a gift from God and it’s our duty take care of it. He called us to go out and spread the Word (Bible passages, Jesus’ teachings and the Christian lifestyle) . That can be hard to do if we are in declining health and have limited movement. Exercise so you can fulfill your mission, be a good example for your family and friends, and to respect the gift God has given you.

SHARE THIS TRAINING WITH OTHERS

The post Take Your Training Outdoors appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

John 10:10 ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.’

We live life to the fullest when we are serving out our purpose in Him:

Jeremiah 29:11: ‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’

By looking after our body, spirit and soul we are putting ourselves in the best position for God to work through us as our bodies are the home of God.

1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 ‘Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honour God with your bodies.’

As a team of Health Professionals (Doctors, Nutritionists, Coaches, Personal Trainers etc.) we know that God is not a killjoy; He knows the pressure that our body, spirit and soul will face in life (tiredness, stress, ageing, illness, injury, and more).

• It can be harder to hear from God when we are tired, stressed and worn down.
• It can be hard to value ourselves as God does when we feel rubbish about ourselves and also harder to love others.
• It can be hard to make space to listen when we feel overwhelmed and overburdened.

We want to be vibrant, energetic and passionate to run our best race so that Jesus can do what he wants through us.

We know that we can do anything we want with our body, spirit and soul but we also know that not everything is recommended!

1 Corinthians 10: 23 ’I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.’

We need to make wise choices about what suits our body, spirit, and soul so that we can live our best life. We want freedom and balance in this area and we want to support others with this too.

JOIN US ONLINE

At Fitfish we have a large online community for support and encouragement, regular insightful videos and blogs about all kinds of topics.

For those who want to become members, we have online exercise and recipe packs and the popular Healthy, Whole & Free Course which supports Christians to break free from dieting and get healthier in a natural and balanced way.

Hundreds have passed through this course and here are some thoughts from a couple of them:

“I have incorporated changes to my diet and lifestyle that have improved my health, fitness and relationship with God. By just committing to turning up and implementing the advice given my health continues to improve. My strength, fitness, energy levels, mental health and sleep have improved! I can now tie my shoelaces again and my Diabetes diagnosis has been reversed!” – Caroline

“The difference Healthy, Whole & Free has made to me has been really significant and fulfilled my hopes for lasting change. On holiday I loved knowing I was lighter and healthier and felt so much better about myself. Usually, we really overeat on that sort of holiday but this time we were able to have sensible quantities of treats, and even exercised together 6 times in the fortnight in our hotel room! All of this would have been unthinkable a year ago! Many thanks to you and of course all praise to God!” -Gill

JOIN US AT OUR RETREATS

We also run retreats which enable Christians to step away from their normal surroundings and experience a programme of worship, talks, workshops, exercise, prayer, 1:1 consultations, great food, company and surroundings.

Here are some comments:

“I return home tired but happy and healthier”

“The retreat reminded me that in all situations God is there. Pause. Praise. Pray!”

“I love the holistic experience that helps me to focus on my mind, body and spirit.”

“An amazing experience that everyone should try”

“Fitfish has been instrumental in helping me get fit and eat more healthily”.

“Fitfish weekends are always brilliant. God knows what we need and the team are brilliant at helping us receive it!”

We are incredibly blessed to serve God in this way and witness what He is doing in people’s lives through Fitfish.

The post Fitfish Online And Retreats Support You In Every Area Of Life appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

You’ve been disciplined, you’ve trained, strategically planned, sacrificed, traveled and now you’re standing at the beginning of the course as you’re introduced (on national television no less) to run the race of your life. You know where you failed last time but you want it bad and you’re not just a ninja warrior – you’re THE ninja warrior with a firm grip on giving all your anxiety to God. Watch this video to see – is it enough to get your first buzzer?

HOLD ON

What’s it like to have victory slip through your fingers? More importantly, what do you do about it? Ninja Addy Herman from Massachusetts shares, “One season was very rough. I had trained harder than ever and I was getting second place at every single competition. It was at that time that my identity shifted. My identity was so into my sport that when I failed I considered myself a failure. I wrote down a prayer: God, win or lose, this is for your glory. Help me be a light to other people, bring joy to other people, and have true peace because this is a gift and platform you’ve given me. This is now my mindset at every competition and in life. God doesn’t want our perfection. He want’s us to come to him at any time with our flaws. He wants us to persist, hold on to him and make him our identity.”

LISTEN TO OUR FULL INTERVIEW WITH ADDY HERMAN

WHEN PICTURE PERFECT LEADS TO QUESTIONS

Herman had what many may think would be the perfect start to a good life. She was raised in a loving Christian home from birth. But, we’re all human and human nature causes us to question God. By age 12 that’s what she was doing. However she learned that God would use her questioning, “I learned it’s OK to question God.” Through her questioning, she found one Bible verse from the book of Job that really shifted things for her spiritually. It says, I’ve heard of you [God] by the hearing of the ear but now my eyes see you. Now I know you. When she read that she really started to understand that she had heard a lot of the Bible and gained a lot of Bible knowledge but what God wanted for her was to experience the deeper relationship of Him being her loving father.

HOW WELL DO YOU SPEAK ‘NINJA’?

The ninja culture, like many sports and the fitness culture too, is filled with terms that might leave you wondering, “What are they saying?” If you’re going to be a ninja then you might want to get familiar with these 5 terms and a whole lot more. Addy gives you the definition and then provides you with a bonus for each – a Christian faith context for the term. Get these down and you’ll be on your way to swinging with the best of them – or at least you’ll be speaking the same language! [Just tap the + to expand each term and reveal the definition and faith context. Tap again to collapse.]

GOD NEVER FAILS AND ALWAYS CALLS YOU TO MORE

That more isn’t more for you it is more for others. Listen to our full interview with Addy and hear how her passion for the sport of ninja has opened doors for her to fulfill the greater purpose of being obedient to God’s calling in her life. She looks for opportunities to minister to others. That can be with other ninja competitors through conversation, mentoring, encouragement and prayer. And she’s also finding God open doors for her to serve along others among those who would otherwise never get to experience the joys of the sport.

She worked with New Hope Initiative and traveled to Sierra Leone in West Africa to build a ninja course for children at a mission there. As much as she is passionate about doing ninja herself, it is when she gets to minister to others that she discovers a richer vision for her life and a greater purpose. You’ll want to subscribe to her YouTube channel so you can watch even more of her videos as she adds them.

THE MANY ELEMENTS OF PERSISTENCE

Think about it. A ninja course is just a single course with many different elements. In much the same way God takes a concept like persistence and works in you many different ways to live a full lifestyle in Him. Take a look at just some of the ways the Bible can speak to you about persistence. Dig deeper into the Bible regularly and we’re confident you’ll find even more.

PERSISTENCE IS BUILT IN THE ‘PRESS ON’: I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. When you watch a ninja compete one of the most compelling aspects of the course is that it has multiple different obstacles back to back. Finishing one part is accomplished by pressing into the next one. The successful ninja knows what is ahead, anticipates what is needed and moves accordingly. It’s not just strength and endurance it is also knowledge. This is true for living life. Having knowledge and wisdom from God is critical to press on in life.

PERSISTENCE ACCESSES EXTRAORDINARY POWER: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Ask Addy and she’ll tell you that every ninja is highly motivated and driven to succeed. So, what’s the difference for a ninja who has Christ in the center of her or his life? It’s God’s Spirit. That’s not some mystical presence and it’s certainly not a self-manufactured mindset. Living in tune with God’s Spirit is THE game changer to not just be hopeful but to abound in hope. Hope in God has no limits.

PERSISTENCE HUMBLY CELEBRATES THAT EYES ARE ON YOU: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. One of the strengths the show American Ninja Warrior has leveraged to become a successful television show is to show the connection the athlete has to others. When Addy competes you’ll see close ups of her family in the stands cheering her with all they have. She has a fan base too AND an even larger television audience. While we see family, fans and audience, God’s sees “so great a cloud of witnesses” and wants you to see that too. It’s why persistence in faithfulness to Christ is important. They’re not just watching what you do and how you do it, they’re being shaped by your personal living testimony – your example. They are gaining faith in God as they witness you persistently holding fast to God.

PERSISTENCE MEANS RESILIENCE: We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. We all need resilience to get up, brush off the fail, refocus on God and move forward to the fullness of what God has for each of us. Recognize that you’re in the world but not of it. That means you’ll go through life like everyone else, no exemptions from the challenges and failures. But your resilience is empowered with more than your own self-determination. It can be strong on a solid foundation of God’s grace and wisdom. With that you can persist like no other!

WANT MORE?

Here is Addy’s Get To Know Me video and a song on how God sees perfection.

The post Persistence > Perfection appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

Music in this recording: You by LiQWYD | https://www.liqwydmusic.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

The post Addy Herman – Persistence>Perfection AUDIO appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

Many people get caught up in how the world defines success and find it tempting/natural to chase after fame, fortune, possessions and more. None of that is important to God. Christians who embrace that truth can have a lifestyle that is more peaceful and fulfilling. To align your heart to God’s will, be obedient, pursue after Gods’s calling for your life, measure success in God’s terms and point people to Christ.

In 2020, God called me to start a fitness YouTube channel called, The Fitness Mission. I had no experience with YouTube and had no desire to become an influencer. But, I did have a desire to align my heart to God’s will. Over the years, God has used my ministry to help grow my faith and give me a platform to point people to Christ. I learned to step out, embrace the calling, discover God’s standard for success, and celebrate victories along the way.

Lesson #1

STEP OUT AND ANSWER YOUR CALLING

Aligning your heart to God’s will involves stepping out of your comfort zone and being willing to say yes when God gives you a mission. The devil is great at pointing out all your weaknesses, but as the apostle Paul says “we boast in our weakness” because it takes the spotlight off us and lets God be glorified for any success we have.

HOW TO BE AN ‘APOSTLE’ – OR AT LEAST BE LIKE AN APOSTLE

Christians are often referred to as “Christ followers”. It implies having a mindset and desire to submit one’s will to God. The term apostle means, one who is sent out. This mindset builds on being a faithful follower and becoming empowered with a calling, a mission, that intentionally goes out to be an influence among others and be a messenger of Christ. Jessica Brodie in her article, Should Every Christian Strive to be Like the Apostles?, she says, “The answer is yes! We can do our best to model Jesus…We can share His message with others.”

When God first called me to start The Fitness Mission, I was very resistant. I felt unqualified and let the fear of failure nearly keep me from starting the ministry. That’s when I had to pause and ask God to “direct my steps according to His Word”.

I prayed that simple prayer daily and that’s when God revealed that my channel would be used to feed the hungry. It took two years and a lot of grit, but eventually my YouTube channel became monetized, which for us means we now donate 100% of the money to MANA Nutrition, an organization that provides life-saving packets of food to severely malnourished children. If I had let the fear of failure stop me from being faithful, I would have missed out on seeing how God orchestrated my ministry to feed His children, both spiritually AND physically.

Lesson #2

DISCOVER GOD’S STANDARD FOR SUCCESS

Aligning your heart to God’s will requires understanding that God measures success differently than the world culture measures success. The world defines success through wealth, power, and popularity – to name a few. Success in God’s eyes is when we build a deep, meaningful connection with God the Father and help others (and ourselves) grow closer to Him.

Jesus isn’t tracking how many “likes” our faith-based Instagram Reel received, he’s tracking our faithfulness.

During my first year of releasing YouTube workouts, I found I was comparing my channel to others. I became jealous of social media influencers and became obsessed with checking my video views and seeing how many new subscribers I had gained. That’s when I began praying the words of Psalm 139 from the Bible over my ministry and my heart: “Search me God and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

When we pray for wisdom, God gives it with abundance. He showed me that measuring my ministry’s success based on popularity or financial gain would never result in true fulfillment. If I compare myself to those who have more, I’ll feel envious. If I compare myself to those who have less, I might puff myself up.

Jesus isn’t tracking how many “likes” our faith-based Instagram Reel received, he’s tracking our faithfulness. The marker of success is when people see Jesus through us and the work He has called us to do. That’s something we don’t always see ourselves.

Lesson #3

CELEBRATE THE VICTORIES AND POINT PEOPLE TO CHRIST

In the Bible God tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS” and then because we need reminders, He repeats “and again I say Rejoice!” If we want to align our hearts with God and make Him the Lord of our life, we need to celebrate all the little victories along the way. You’re making a difference in the world and God’s Kingdom, and that’s worth celebrating. When small milestones are achieved, rejoice! When big victories happen, rejoice!

When you invite God to direct your steps, He will bless you and make you successful in His eyes.

God has accomplished great things with The Fitness Mission. My ministry is small but mighty. The Fitness Mission YouTube channel has almost 400 free workouts available and averages around 400 hours of watch time (aka exercise time) each month. In addition to traditional workouts, the channel offers family fitness classes, Parkinson’s workouts, and prenatal wellness.

Our family donates around $200 each month to MANA Nutrition, simply from people exercising. Followers report that the mission of feeding starving kids keeps them motivated to stick with their exercise program & complete more workouts.

Most importantly, The Fitness Mission has given our family a platform to share the Gospel (the biblical instruction from Christ) in our local community and online. Through this ministry God has blessed me with the love and support of a group of faith-based fitness YouTubers called the Core Kingdom Collective. Our family celebrates all these accomplishments while eagerly waiting to see what God will do next.

Wherever you are in your ministry, business, or fitness journey, when you invite God to direct your steps, He will bless you and make you successful in His eyes. When we align our heart with God’s will, He will give you the power and platform to connect people to the life changing power of Jesus Christ.

The post The Fitness Mission appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

Today for sure was a good workout at the gym. You lifted heavier, pushed harder and made some serious gains. Which is why, you could kick yourself for Getting not 1 but 2 Big Macs. At least you saw Jeff while you we’re walking in to get your carb fix.

“Hey man, What’s Up?!” you gestured.

From behind his sun glasses he replied, “Ah you know, tryin to make it the best I can”.

“That’s what I’m talkin about” you blurted back with a smile as you kept on walking. When you came back out thank God he wasn’t anywhere to be found. Your secret bag of guilty pleasure was safe.

Back in your car, driving down the road and scrafing your food you thought about how you hadn’t seen Jeff in a long time. “Wonder what he was up to these days?” You guys used to hang out a lot together. Somewhere along the way, at least you figured, he finally got as busy as you. “Bout time looser”, you laughed out loud causing you to chock and spit out a big chunk of hamburger onto the dashboard as you slammed on the breaks to avoid hitting the car in front of you.

When the light turned green the recent encounter with Jeff replayed in your mind. He wasn’t the chub you remembered. In fact he’d lost a lot of weight, maybe too much. It hadn’t been that long since you saw him last. The more you thought about it you couldn’t help but wonder if his, “tryin to make it the best I can” was code for I’m using drugs again. “Probably getting all depressed and messed up,” you thought out loud, “He’s so stupid if he’s doing that crap.”

You’d both screwed up before — big time! By the grace of God you’d not only managed to clean up your life but build a bod to be proud of. You mind wandered, “Guahsssh, look at me pigging out on this. Come on man, you’re better than this. Reflect your inner man!”

You turned up the volume on your playlist, rolled down the window, held your head high and with a powerful pitch hurled the second sandwich into the ditch.

QUESTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION AND GROUP DISCUSSION

1. Most gym, church or studio memberships have a ‘guest pass’ feature. What are the details of that feature for your membership? Among your coworkers, classmates, neighbors, friends, family members and other contacts who could you invite to join you for some fitness and fellowship? Describe what that would look like.
2. Jeff is a fictional character who represents those people in our lives who we know but with whom we haven’t kept in contact like we could. Who are the Jeffs in your life? Recall a time when you learned that someone you know had an illness, struggle, loss, failure or other difficult circumstance of which you were not aware. How could you have helped that person? What are some ways you can reconnect with someone?
3. Think about the things you do to make yourself a better you. How can those good things become a distraction from seeing the needs of others? What are some ways you can get out of your own thoughts and agenda and be more aware of and responsive to others? Read the Bible passage of the good Samaritan and consider what lessons Christ teaches. What other Bible passages relate to this Gymnos story?
4. Recall and discuss a time in your life when you were too caught up in what you were doing and later realized you missed an opportunity to be more present in someone’s life. How can you draw on your faith in God and make it a strength you give to others in the moment?

The post What’s Up?! appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.