This year, I am finally exercising and committing, with God's help, to caring for my body. I'm thinking less of my waistline, however, and more of the vitality I wish to be mine when I'm 70 and 80, should God grant me those years.
We are statistically living longer; yet, we are spending more years saddled with chronic disease. Exercise can improve the outlook for our older years. It won't necessarily ward off chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer's, but it can delay or shorten their course.
"Typically, the most aerobically fit people lived with chronic illnesses in the final five years of their lives, instead of the final 10, 15 or even 20 years," writes New York Times health blogger Gretchen Reynolds in her piece on the benefits of middle-age fitness.
Vitality as we grow old is a worthy goal indeed, pictured biblically in passages like Psalm 92: "The righteous flourish like the palm tree... They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green."
If science is telling us that exercising now may help us achieve that vitality later, we should heed that advice: the practice of foresight is no less than the exercise of biblical wisdom. Plus, our efforts to improve our health into old age also can ease the physical, financial, and emotional burdens of caring for us, which future generations will be forced to bear.
Vitality in old age offers greater opportunities for building relationships and influencing children and grandchildren. The book of Genesis is framed as the story of "generations" (Gen. 2:4, 5:1, 6:9, 11:27, 25:12, 25:19, 36:1, 46:8). With this narrative construct, the author insists that the activity of God expands beyond the scope of one human life. Whether or not we have biological children, this generational legacy can still be ours, for the New Testament upholds the notion that older men and women will teach and influence younger members of the church (Titus 2:3, 4; 1 Peter 5:1-5).
Here's a goal worth running after. And by the grace of God, tomorrow morning when I lace up my shoes, it will be grey-haired vitality—not skinny—that I chase.
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Comments
Jared White
I agree that there is a major misconception that "skinny" or "thin" equals being healthy. It's easy for people to justify what are really vain pursuits with trying to being "healthy," but doing so can lead to practices that are actually unhealthy and result in depression and low-self esteem. I think it's important to get a firm grounding in our identity in Christ and really search out why we are pursuing "health." The right reasons will lead to abundant life! -Jared White
carlene byron
As one of my writing clients sells clothing from India and Pakistan, I've been entertained to discover that their fashion blogs offer tips for how the "too thin" woman can dress to appear womanly. And of course, we all caught the December blog uproar when an century old NYTimes piece resurfaced describing a 1912 Cornell student as the "perfect woman" -- a basketball player, fond of steak, 5'7 and 171 pounds. She lived to age 91, supporting the "obesity paradox" -- that some studies find people who are overweight (by today's standards) but not obese live longer than skinnies. Of course today's standards are only about 30 years old ... All of which just goes to say: run, run, as fast as you can. But never believe a mirror that says you're anything but the most beautiful woman of them all.
Rachel Stephan Simko
I've dealt for YEARS with body image issues, and it was only through my first pregnancy that God released me from a lot of the idols I was clinging to. In the last few years, I've grown to love exercise for its challenges and the energy it gives me. It's become less about "getting thin" and more about a way of life. Exercise is one of my hobbies, and if I'm not moving consistently, it really affects my emotional state. Another thing I've come to terms with is having the right understanding of food. Food is meant to be enjoyed, but it's also meant to nourish. And in America, we have a very skewed view of HOW MUCH we need. I've stopped dieting and have just started focusing on what makes sense to fuel my body (with, yes, an occasional gluten-free cupcake now and then). (evenonesparrow.blogspot.com)
Luisa Rodriguez
Excellent article! I also think that this love for "skinny" has spilled over into the discussion about children's health. There is a great push now to fight childhood obesity and the focus seems to be on kids' fatness instead of their health. I see so many "skinny" kids eat only chicken nuggets and pizza who are by no means healthier than a kid that is overweight. I talk about this on a recent blog that I wrote (http://www.fruitful-living.net/2013/01/how-to-teach-kids-about-food.html#. UQFN5qVVhD0). As you say, we should be pushing to be healthier (having vitality and keeping disease and illness away) and not skinny.
Dan Richardson
I question whether wanting to be thin because one thinks it makes them look better is a goal not worthy of pursuing. My questions for anyone who feels like their objective is to be 100% spiritual in this pursuit; do you wear make up, comb your hair or use deodorant? If so, why? These three activities have not proven to lengthen life so you can witness longer for The Lord.
Marie Gregg
Great, great post. I flirted with anorexia in high school (only by the grace of God did I not become very ill) and graduated with far too little weight on my 5'7" frame. And yet my friends told me, all the time, that I looked good. 11 years later, I am now at a much better weight, but my relationship to food and exercise hasn't improved. I definitely needed this reminder that "healthy" doesn't look the same on each person.
Jenn Wright
As a fully-delivered bulimic-anorexic, and now, 20 years later, as a less-than-healthy, relatively "skinny" IV-nutrition-dependent patient [the two issues not being related], I have learned that skinny is not the goal: HEALTH is. We need to care for our bodies so that Christ can use us as effectively as possible. But when motivations are mixed, we need to consciously and intentionally pause to examine, discern, and draw a clear line around between the often dichotomous goals of vanity and fitness.
Tim Fall
Good points about fitness and our theological pursuits, Jen. From now on I am going to say that my fitness (or lack thereof) is due to my teleology. True or not, few will be able to refute it! And as for fitness helping out in old age, all I know is that my 89 year old father is still taking walks down at the beach most days, just as he has since retiring over a quarter century ago. Cheers, Tim (timfall.wordpress.com)
JANET W
I absolutely agree that "skinny" is in no way equal to health. In fact, in my profession, I deal with dying patients, and at death, the vast majority are little more than skin and bones. We should strive for healthy rather than skinny. Healthy usual equates more with physical activity than with body weight, in my experience.
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