There’s a lot of emphasis on exercise in today’s culture, isn’t there? There are countless gyms, trainers, types of equipment, programs, workout clothes and shoes, as well as a variety of athletic activities from which to choose. It’s overwhelming. Yet there’s still a rise in eating disorders, in childhood obesity and Type 2 Diabetes?
It seems that these two opposing categories of choice are battling each other, further confusing and stressing us out.
Why is this so? It’s too complicated for me to give a two-word explanation, obviously. Yes, it is complicated.
But perhaps, it has something to do with focus and priority, putting exercise and health in a healthy balance for our lives. God tells us that, yes, there is some benefit to exercise.
“For bodily exercise profits little: but godliness is profitable to all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.”
1 Timothy 4:8
It lowers blood pressure, combats heart disease; it also improves circulation and mood, just to name a few positive results.
But, like anything used to excess, it can harm, even kill. That’s what it could have done for me, back in the day, when I exercised for six or more hours a day, while starving myself at the same time. Believe me; that was not God’s Will!
“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace…”
1 Corinthians 14:33
That was not profitable!
So what is profitable? Moderate exercise that is a part of your life, but not your ENTIRE life!!!! If exercise is preventing you from other people and things in your life, to the point of disruption, that is not profitable.
Signs of Compulsive Exercise
If you are concerned about your own exercise habits or a friend's, ask yourself the following questions. Do you:
force yourself to exercise, even if you don't feel well? prefer to exercise rather than being with friends? become very upset if you miss a workout? base the amount you exercise on how much you eat? have trouble sitting still because you think you're not burning calories? worry that you'll gain weight if you skip exercising for a day?If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you or your friend may have a problem. What should you do?
How to Get Help
The first thing you should do if you suspect that you are a compulsive exerciser is get help. Talk to your parents, doctor, a teacher or counselor, a coach, or another trusted adult. Compulsive exercise, especially when it is combined with an eating disorder, can cause serious and permanent health problems, and in extreme cases, death.
Because compulsive exercise is closely related to eating disorders, help can be found at community agencies specifically set up to deal with anorexia, bulimia, and other eating problems. Your school's health or physical education department may also have support programs and nutrition advice available. Ask your teacher, coach, or counselor to recommend local organizations that may be able to help.
You should also schedule a checkup with a doctor. Because our bodies go through so many important developments during the teen years, guys and girls who have compulsive exercise problems need to see a doctor to make sure they are developing normally. This is especially true if the person also has an eating disorder. Female athlete triad, a condition that affects girls who overexercise and restrict their eating because of their sports, can cause a girl to stop having her period. Medical help is necessary to resolve the physical problems associated with overexercising before they cause long-term damage to the body.
God tells us:
“Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.”
3 John 1:2
Let’s believe it and accept it for our lives, not just in the area of exercise, but in everything we do!
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