I noticed the other day how bad I felt. I didn't check it, but if I had to guess, my blood pressure was up. I did check my pulse, and my resting heart rate was about five to ten beats per minute higher than it was a month ago. I noticed my breathing has been a bit of a struggle lately too, not quite as bad as it was in my childhood when I suffered with asthma, but definitely worst than last month. Then I noticed that I have been struggling with a slight headache the last few weeks...not severe (I don't think I've ever had a severe headache, especially what everyone calls a migraine), but just enough to annoy me and turn my mood a bit sour. To top it all off, there has been something I can't explain except to say it's sort of like a feeling of depression (again nothing serious, but it's there).
The thing is, I know exactly why this is happening, and it comes as no surprise. A couple weeks after my last race, my running/exercising routine was reduced to a hike or two per week and my diet hasn't really had any restrictions on content or amount. Now I'm skipping weeks entirely from any real exercise, and I can feel my health slipping away. Besides that, it's getting harder and harder to find the motivation to get back out there again.
Now, I know there are people who don't exercise who are thinking I'm making this up. After all, they haven't exercised in years and they don't feel like their health is that bad. For one, your health may be poorer than you think, but you don't realize it because you've gotten used to it. I'm not approaching this thing scientifically, but I have a pretty good guess that that this is how it works. When you get used to something good and then you go without it for awhile, your body recognizes it is missing. When you get used to that good blood flowing through your veins after a month or so of exercise and proper nutrition, and then suddenly you're eating junk and getting poor circulation, your body knows! And you feel worse than you did before you ever started.
What is my point? Well, you knew it was going to get spiritual!
Have you noticed how easy it is for you to sin lately? How hard it is for you to get up on Sundays and get to the house of God? Have you noticed how down you feel, how easily you get aggravated and upset? All these are pretty good signs that your spirit is missing what it once had. You might have pushed it aside long enough that you feel like you're okay, but stop and evaluate. Are you where you should be?
January is coming up. That's a good time to decide you're going to get back after it...but why wait? Chances are, if you keep putting it off, you'll never find the motivation. So let's start now. Blow the dust off that Bible and start reading it again. Lay out your clothes and iron them for church this Sunday (in fact, mid-week service is tonight!) Tell your friends and co-workers there are going to be some changes in your life.
You know, I keep saying "I'm going to get back to some sort of an exercise program and diet plan...next week." Well, I'm going for a run right after I post this. Be back in an hour!
The thing is, I know exactly why this is happening, and it comes as no surprise. A couple weeks after my last race, my running/exercising routine was reduced to a hike or two per week and my diet hasn't really had any restrictions on content or amount. Now I'm skipping weeks entirely from any real exercise, and I can feel my health slipping away. Besides that, it's getting harder and harder to find the motivation to get back out there again.
Now, I know there are people who don't exercise who are thinking I'm making this up. After all, they haven't exercised in years and they don't feel like their health is that bad. For one, your health may be poorer than you think, but you don't realize it because you've gotten used to it. I'm not approaching this thing scientifically, but I have a pretty good guess that that this is how it works. When you get used to something good and then you go without it for awhile, your body recognizes it is missing. When you get used to that good blood flowing through your veins after a month or so of exercise and proper nutrition, and then suddenly you're eating junk and getting poor circulation, your body knows! And you feel worse than you did before you ever started.
What is my point? Well, you knew it was going to get spiritual!
Have you noticed how easy it is for you to sin lately? How hard it is for you to get up on Sundays and get to the house of God? Have you noticed how down you feel, how easily you get aggravated and upset? All these are pretty good signs that your spirit is missing what it once had. You might have pushed it aside long enough that you feel like you're okay, but stop and evaluate. Are you where you should be?
January is coming up. That's a good time to decide you're going to get back after it...but why wait? Chances are, if you keep putting it off, you'll never find the motivation. So let's start now. Blow the dust off that Bible and start reading it again. Lay out your clothes and iron them for church this Sunday (in fact, mid-week service is tonight!) Tell your friends and co-workers there are going to be some changes in your life.
You know, I keep saying "I'm going to get back to some sort of an exercise program and diet plan...next week." Well, I'm going for a run right after I post this. Be back in an hour!
