A Personal Trainer

In recent years, I have watched several older relatives get to the point where their health issues caused them a lot of pain. While watching them, I suggested to my husband that although I understood I wasn’t going to live forever, it was time to start taking better care of myself in hopes of aging with less pain than my older relatives. We have had a treadmill and a stationary recumbent bike in our basement for years and have used them with some frequency (my husband more than I).

We have a floor mat and some weights that I used regularly for a while. But I needed some accountability. So we decided to purchase a membership for each of us at a local fitness center. I didn’t know much about the gym equipment, but I began using the treadmill and several other fitness machines. I soon realized I wasn’t accomplishing much because I didn’t know what I was doing. Recognizing I needed help, my husband signed me up with a personal trainer as a Christmas gift that year.

And for the next six months, I worked! I often told Cara I thought she was trying to kill me, but at the end of six months, I was much stronger than I had been at Christmas (or in my whole life). Cara was the accountability I needed.

I worked out faithfully until the gym was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the shutdown, my motivation went away.

Yes, the treadmill, bike, floor mat, and weights were still in our basement. It was nice enough outside to go for a walk, but I didn’t exercise as much or intensely as before. When the gym reopened two months later, I immediately realized I couldn’t just pick up where I’d left off. I needed to start slowly again. This time I am motivated not by a person but by something inside that feels better when I exercise.

This morning while I was physically exercising, I reflected on my spiritual exercise program. Long ago, I realized my day just goes so much better when I spend time with the Lord before doing anything else. He is my personal Trainer.

He is the accountability I need. He tells me what I need to do, and then He helps me do it. And the more time I spend with Him, the stronger I become, and that gives me a great feeling inside!

Kathy Pepper