I have had the privilege of working as a team chaplain with rugby players since 2005. These guys are the epitome of being fit. They eat, breathe and sleep fitness. If they aren’t as fit as the coach, trainer or nutritionist wants them to be, they are immediately told how to get back where they need to be! Unless you’re training as an elite athlete, you probably don’t have the luxury of a fitness team around you like that.

So how do you get fit and stay that way?

I have a different outlook on fitness than most. Yes, physical fitness is beneficial, but there are 2 areas that are overlooked, one more than the other. I’m talking about mental fitness and spiritual fitness.

Mental fitness is easy to figure out. Read a book, take a class or even study a subject on your own to increase your knowledge.

But what about spiritual fitness? How do you increase your spiritual fitness? I believe God has put us on the earth for a reason. He wants us to have personal relationship with Him. He loves us and wants us to rely on Him for strength and wisdom to make it through this life. We are spiritual beings and He wants us to be fit spiritually!

You can start being fit by reading theBible and understanding how God wants us to be spiritually fit. A good place to start is in the book of John in the New Testament. Talk with friends who go to church and ask how they stay spiritually fit. Visit a church and find out why people go to stay fit.

One verse in the bible that sums this up is found in 1 Timothy, chapter 4, verse 8. It says, “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”

Fitness is very important to us all. We’ve all heard the saying, “If you don’t use it you lose it!” Make sure you stay sharp and in shape by using the abilities you’ve been given. Stay fit physically, mentally and most important, spiritually!

Jamie – Fit 4 Life Staff