How the Combo of Work and Exercise Help Us During Lent
We recently posted some thoughts about how exercise can help us at work. I hope you've already committed to a regular exercise routine. Now, with Lent just about upon us, let's look at how our regimen of work and exercise can help us in our Lenten observances.
First we recall the three legs of our Lenten discipline: prayer, fasting, almsgiving. It should be evident that, if we want to stick to our discipline, some sort of dedicated regimen will be required. Given that, it should also be apparent that if we've committed to a dedicated regimen of exercise (ideally serious commitment to eating well is included in our regimen), we'll have a leg up on executing whatever we designate as our Lenten discipline this year. As we've mentioned multiple times, being disciplined in one area inevitably helps us be disciplined in other areas. When it comes to physical exercise, in addition to strength, flexibility, and endurance, eating well and exercising regularly develops what we'll call "discipline muscles." These can be used in other areas of our lives, including our spiritual lives.
To bolster our understanding of the connection here, let's recall these words from Church Militant Field Manual - Special Forces Training for the Life in Christ by Father Richard M. Heilman:
We have a tendency to disconnect the pieces of our life - work, exercise, prayer - but it is usually true that if we are flabby, our faith tends to be flabby..."
Personal experience has proven that if someone has trouble controlling their appetite for food (and/or drink), that lack of self-control will also be reflected in other areas of their lives. That includes their spiritual lives. The fact is, we all have to learn to "exercise" our will. It starts with little choices. That's one reason that mortifications prove to be so powerful in helping us grow closer to God. So during Lent, a good start with our fasting discipline might be a thoughtful application of mortifications during the day. Some simple examples: delaying, reducing, occasionally eliminating our typical lunch meal; skipping the snack machine altogether for the duration. While mortifications are typically little things, they can be quite powerful in building up our discipline muscles because they call for will power. Father Heilman explains:
Our "will" is that spiritual power of the soul by which we choose to do something.
Such mortifications applied to our eating habits "force" us to choose. Pick those you can reasonable pursue during the work day. But what about physical exercise? More pertinent to the connection between exercise and work:
While fasting and abstinence are traditional forms of mortification of the flesh, why not add the challenge of a fitness regimen as an excellent way to, as we say in the Catholic world, "offer it up"? Certainly the discipline of diet and exercise will accomplish the goals of mortification, which is to die to the control worldly desires have over our lives. This is the true goal when we talk about "loving the Lord your God with all your strength."
As we've noted in the past, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We Catholics were taught this when we were kids. Taking care of our bodies isn't optional. And taking care of our bodies doesn't just mean not abusing our bodies (drink, drugs, gluttony, etc.). Here we see how our efforts to take care of our bodies can also provide an opportunity for mortification.
Of course, just be careful with this one. It's easy to slip into vanity when you focus on improving your physical well-being, which frequently will improve your physical appearance. But that's just the way of our fallen human nature. What serves our spiritual well-being can also bring with it temptations to pride, vanity, etc. So be sure to do all prayerfully, with the intention of doing God's will, rather than your own.
Finally, let's consider applying our "discipline muscles" at work. Of course, diligently applying ourselves to do the best job we can requires an exercise of will. But consider now those activities and personal contacts at work that are particularly challenging. There are few jobs that don't entail having to do some things that aren't our cup of tea. The same applies to the workplace: Not everyone with whom we have to work each day will be a day at the beach. People (including us!) can exhibit behaviors that get on our nerves. Maybe Lent will be time you suck it up and smile, turning annoyance into active acts of charity. (And remember, charity is one form of almsgiving.)
I hope these comments about how the discipline we apply to exercise and work will help us during Lent. And if you haven't yet sketched out your plan for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, there's still time. Just remember: Lent begins with Ash Wednesday - and that arrives next week.
First we recall the three legs of our Lenten discipline: prayer, fasting, almsgiving. It should be evident that, if we want to stick to our discipline, some sort of dedicated regimen will be required. Given that, it should also be apparent that if we've committed to a dedicated regimen of exercise (ideally serious commitment to eating well is included in our regimen), we'll have a leg up on executing whatever we designate as our Lenten discipline this year. As we've mentioned multiple times, being disciplined in one area inevitably helps us be disciplined in other areas. When it comes to physical exercise, in addition to strength, flexibility, and endurance, eating well and exercising regularly develops what we'll call "discipline muscles." These can be used in other areas of our lives, including our spiritual lives.
To bolster our understanding of the connection here, let's recall these words from Church Militant Field Manual - Special Forces Training for the Life in Christ by Father Richard M. Heilman:
We have a tendency to disconnect the pieces of our life - work, exercise, prayer - but it is usually true that if we are flabby, our faith tends to be flabby..."
Personal experience has proven that if someone has trouble controlling their appetite for food (and/or drink), that lack of self-control will also be reflected in other areas of their lives. That includes their spiritual lives. The fact is, we all have to learn to "exercise" our will. It starts with little choices. That's one reason that mortifications prove to be so powerful in helping us grow closer to God. So during Lent, a good start with our fasting discipline might be a thoughtful application of mortifications during the day. Some simple examples: delaying, reducing, occasionally eliminating our typical lunch meal; skipping the snack machine altogether for the duration. While mortifications are typically little things, they can be quite powerful in building up our discipline muscles because they call for will power. Father Heilman explains:
Our "will" is that spiritual power of the soul by which we choose to do something.
Such mortifications applied to our eating habits "force" us to choose. Pick those you can reasonable pursue during the work day. But what about physical exercise? More pertinent to the connection between exercise and work:
While fasting and abstinence are traditional forms of mortification of the flesh, why not add the challenge of a fitness regimen as an excellent way to, as we say in the Catholic world, "offer it up"? Certainly the discipline of diet and exercise will accomplish the goals of mortification, which is to die to the control worldly desires have over our lives. This is the true goal when we talk about "loving the Lord your God with all your strength."
As we've noted in the past, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We Catholics were taught this when we were kids. Taking care of our bodies isn't optional. And taking care of our bodies doesn't just mean not abusing our bodies (drink, drugs, gluttony, etc.). Here we see how our efforts to take care of our bodies can also provide an opportunity for mortification.
Of course, just be careful with this one. It's easy to slip into vanity when you focus on improving your physical well-being, which frequently will improve your physical appearance. But that's just the way of our fallen human nature. What serves our spiritual well-being can also bring with it temptations to pride, vanity, etc. So be sure to do all prayerfully, with the intention of doing God's will, rather than your own.
Finally, let's consider applying our "discipline muscles" at work. Of course, diligently applying ourselves to do the best job we can requires an exercise of will. But consider now those activities and personal contacts at work that are particularly challenging. There are few jobs that don't entail having to do some things that aren't our cup of tea. The same applies to the workplace: Not everyone with whom we have to work each day will be a day at the beach. People (including us!) can exhibit behaviors that get on our nerves. Maybe Lent will be time you suck it up and smile, turning annoyance into active acts of charity. (And remember, charity is one form of almsgiving.)
I hope these comments about how the discipline we apply to exercise and work will help us during Lent. And if you haven't yet sketched out your plan for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, there's still time. Just remember: Lent begins with Ash Wednesday - and that arrives next week.
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