Born To Move

Born to Move

[The Lord] fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! Psalm 103:5

If you were like most toddlers, you may have been like the Energizer Bunny, spontaneously moving, playing, jumping, pounding, dancing, running. At that age, you didn’t have to worry about getting enough exercise. But every year, children become a little more sedentary until, by the time they become teenagers, many are inactive and are well on their way to becoming overweight couch potatoes.

Let’s take a look ahead to what happens if you proceed on the path of inactivity through your twenties, thirties, and beyond. Depending on your age, that may seem like a long way in the future, but that time will be here before you know it. If you’re like most women, your metabolism will start to slow down in midlife, and by that time, keeping fit can be as difficult as swimming upstream, especially if you haven’t already been in the habit of making time to exercise. But it’s not impossible!

If the only exercise you get is heading to the kitchen for morning coffee and to the car that takes you to the office or on errands, you’ll likely join the millions of adults who are overweight and don’t have the energy needed for all the tasks and challenges ahead. You may feel overwhelmed when God has another responsibility or “mountain” of difficulty for you to climb, because you’re just too tired. But the truth is, instead of using up all your energy when you exercise, you actually get more energy. It’s kind of like having a bank account into which you make deposits: The more you invest in moving your body, the more energy you’ll have to draw out. And because daily exercise speeds up your metabolism, your body can better burn the calories you consume, so a wonderful side benefit of exercise is weight control. And to a lesser or greater extent, we all need that!

You were born to move, not just during childhood but throughout your life on earth. Your body is the only one you have, so let me encourage you to be good to it. And may the Lord renew your youth and strength like the eagle’s.

—CHERI

Thank you, Lord, for designing my body to move and not to be sedentary. Renew my youth like the eagle’s, that I might better rejoice in you and serve you.

Be good to yourself. If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live?

—KOBI YAMADA, AUTHOR