A Biblical Category for Exercise

FTF #113

November 15, 2024

Hey there - it’s Don.

Happy Friday!

If you are new to the newsletter, my name is Don and I run Layman’s Fitness, which is a business that helps Christian guys lose weight and build strength all at home.

For the entire month of November, any guy who signs up for the Kettlebell Strength System will get a FREE month of coaching.

⬇️ Here’s where you can click to learn more

Let’s jump into this week’s Fit Tip Friday!

🔎 In This Fit Tip Friday

Inside you’ll find:

  • A Biblical category for exercise

  • Hyrox, the new fitness racing sport

  • When muscles workout they help neurons to grow

  • And more

First time reading? Sign-up here.

Tip: A Biblical Category for Exercise

Click here to read the full version on the Layman’s Fitness website

The Bible doesn’t have much to say about swinging kettlebells in an exercise routine.

But there is one biblical category that has helped me think through exercise, and that’s the category of work.

Movement is inherent in all work. This is obvious for anyone who has an active job (carpenter, welder, farmer, etc…). And up until a hundred years ago, the physical labor of most jobs provided all the exercise people needed.

Exercise solves the problem of inactivity. When we exercise, we are reintroducing movement into our daily patterns lost with sedentary jobs.

But even if a job is sedentary, movement can’t be totally displaced from work. Fingers move fast on a keyboard, the muscles in the throat and tongue move to form words, and the wrist moves to help sketch out a business plan on a piece of paper.

So, with this connection in view, here are some of the biblical instructions with work that have helped me think through exercise.

The motivations to work

  • For Christ (Ephesians 6:5-8)

  • For our families (1 Timothy 5:8)

  • For a harvest to enjoy (Proverbs 6:6-8)

The temptations with work

  • Slothfulness (Proverbs 6:9-11)

  • Idleness (1 Thessalonians 3:6-12)

  • Self-glory & vanity (Luke 12:16-21)

How to work

  • Diligently (Proverbs 21:5)

  • Heartily (Colossians 3:23)

  • With strength (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

Hope this serves.

🔎 Finds/Resources This Week

Here are some of my favorite finds/resources this week.

Hyrox, the new fitness racing sport (more)

Started in 2017, Hyrox is a new fitness racing sport. The competition requires participants to progress through 8 different stations, from sled pushes, pulls, rowing, farmer’s carries, wall balls, and more.

While frankly I think this is a fad, I do think this is indicative of the slow but seismic shift in the fitness industry towards focusing on functional strength. Which I’m a fan of.

 

When muscles work out, they help neurons to grow (more)

This is stunning. It’s unreal to think of all the internal activity that happens when we exercise. Our God made this.

 

Other finds

  • The easy high-protein dinner this registered dietician makes for her family every week (more)

  • Why is exercise so important for seniors? (more)

  • Kettlebell exercises for weight loss (more)

  • 5 benefits of morning sunlight for sleep-wake cycle (more)

  • What is Red Dye 40 made from? (this surprised me) (more)

👍 Thanks for reading!

I’ll see you next week.

For the entire month of November, any guy who signs up for the Kettlebell Strength System will get a FREE month of coaching.

⬇️ Here’s where you can click to learn more

Be strong,

Don

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