Do you cringe when you hear the word fitness? Or are you excited about your workout time? One definition of fitness given by Dictionary.com is “capability of the body of distributing inhaled oxygen to muscle tissue during increased physical effort.”
Do you belong to an organization that promotes fitness?
The company I work for has a wellness committee that encourages employees to take care of themselves. They suggest participating in a seven-month program called CORE (Centering Our Lives on Wellness) or in National Walk @ Lunch Day or in Global Employee Health & Fitness Day. Because my lunch group participated in the latter two, we got modified casual days and were able to wear T-shirts and jeans or capri pants so we could walk at lunch. My company also sponsors or highlights many other fitness events during the year.
Fitness can mean physical fitness, mental fitness, even spiritual fitness. Perhaps the importance of fitness shows up in your company’s oath or purpose statement. Something like “…promote healing and wholeness in the church, the society, and the world.”
Healing and wholeness can include healing ourselves, taking care of our bodies and helping those around us. In another organization I belong to, we say it is important “to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”
The word fitness sometimes makes me wince, but I do go to the gym at least once a week. Fitness is easier with a support system. Walking at lunch with friends (physical), Bible study with friends (spiritual), or playing games with family (mental) are all ways to be fit. Breathe in, and consider the benefits of being physically, mentally, and spiritually fit.
See what Women of the ELCA does to help Raise Up Healthy Women and Girls. What is your favorite way to stay fit?
Gwen Edwards is serving a second term on the Women of the ELCA executive board and lives in Bellevue, Nebraska.
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