Bless me father, it has been more than three months since my last gym work-out...That would have been my confession yesterday but this morning I finally, finally, finally got back to the gym and toiled away for an hour. Living for two months in an apartment on the other side of town and the demands of moving meant that I offered up a lot of "tomorrow I'll go" procrastinations. We were actually fairly active during this period. Lots of bike rides, including cycling to work often. A few paddles and exploratory walks and hikes. Ruth has returned to her love of rowing, developed in Halifax. And packing up and moving requires a fair amount of expended energy.
It is important to establish a regimen of overall fitness just the same, and I found that the longer I put off the gym, the harder the prospect of getting back to it. Part of it was the unknown: this isn't "my" gym. Who wants to stumble around looking for the weights and machines like a novice? And I knew I would have to lower my expectations after a lay-off. It's probably what deters a lot of folk from getting started.
I have written before about clergy being a notoriously sedentary lot. We sit to work and we are invited to eat prodigiously. The result is broadening girths and heavy demands on our benefits program. With more than eighty percent of United Church clergy over fifty we are prime candidates for health problems.
More than this, we invite our people into abundant life in Christ, a life in which we respect our bodies as a gift from God. Surely we should do our best to provide an example of reasonable and attainable health rather than the body obsession/ obesity crisis pendulum of the culture.
Well, I have no excuse now. It is a three-minute bicycle ride to the Y and it is on my route to the church.
Do you think your clergy should try to model good health and fitness? How are you doing with your fitness regime. Is it good theology to take care of our earthly bodies along with our heavenly hope?
4 comments:
I think our clergy should care for themselves so that they can be in "good shape" (physically, mentally, spiritually, etc.) to pastor us, yes.. and provide a good model ... and I do believe we are responsible for looking after our bodies - our temples. Now, I had better get back to MY gym, soon !
Glad to hear you're back at it, David. Be sure to wear a belt when lifting those one pound rubber dumbbells!
Now we will know what to chat about on Sunday mornings Judy --how was your exercise regimen this week? As you can read, part of my work-out is the cross I bear named Roger. Those are one kilogram weights Roger, not one pound. Since you are a fit guy I'll make some concessions>
Ah, well, the gym has gone by the wayside, with the house sale prep and activity... but I try to walk (briskly) every day - and have a brief bike ride around the neighbourhood, as well...
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