There is something wonderful about exercise. When you take shortcuts the only person impacted is yourself. You may try to claim that you were ahead, but your body knows the truth. If you are working to get in shape and take it easy, goals do not get any closer. Life’s formula is not negotiable.
In the middle of yesterday’s workout I found myself reflecting on how easy it is to believe in shortcuts. I like them as much as the next guy! We talked of the steps we are taking as we work towards a goal, knowing that we have not completed the steps to the extent we are describing. Sometimes the exaggeration does not really matter – the inflated words are intended to make us look good, as if we are going beyond the call of duty. On other occasions, every step matters. Exercising in a certain way for a specific length of time is an accurate indicator of calories burned. Skip or skimp along the way and the calories never move from where they were.
The other irony with workouts is the vagueness that some bring to the process. I watched at a few wondered from one place in the gym to another. There was no apparent routine or discipline in the sequence they were following. I hope that the time was relaxing; it was hard to see that it could have been anything more.
In contrast, I was inspired by the individuals putting everything they had into what they were doing. The intensity was amazing; from simplicity exercises like skipping rope through to combination routines that could easily be seen as a form of dancing. I founding role playing, pushing the edges of what I could do – consistently.
As I pushed on I realized that I needed a divine trainer. When I slack off, “Before what [I]/they cook up is half-done, God, throw it out with the garbage!” (Psalm 58.9) When I give it my all, God make this bigger than anything I imagine! As helpful as trainers are, the choice will be mine.
