Mental Health for the Christian: Time to Get Off Your Butt

I hope the title of this blog caught your attention. If there is one thing (other than sleep) that is absolutely essential for mental health, it's exercise. If you need a drill sergeant calling you out, I am more than willing to play that role. Let's take a look at why exercise is so important, and think about how to prioritize it in our lives.

First of all, we are interconnected organisms. Our body, our thoughts, and our emotions are strongly interrelated. For example, two nights of poor sleep in a row (my body), and the negative pole of my BPD (bipolar disorder) kicks in big time (mentally/emotionally). And when I use meditation (or the Christian variety), my anxiety calms down, and my body relaxes. Try it for your self.

Second, we are creatures of habit, or at least we should be. In other blogs, I have written about the absolute necessity of healthy habits to keep our mental/emotional challenges under control. For example, maintaining a sleep regimen is very important.

But my sleep regimen would be useless if it weren't for exercise. The connection between quality sleep and consistent exercise is well established. For me, this means a commitment to vigorous exercise three times per week, but also to walking on the alternate days. For me the vigorous exercise is swimming, my go-to cardio exercise. Recently my spouse has had me doing resistance training once per week. (I guess it's a bone density thing.) Although I don't always look forward to my strenuous workouts, I love how I feel afterwards. Those endorphins are a nice side benefit of cardio work. But here's the take-away. When I don't exercise, I don't sleep well. There you have it. It's that simple.

I could add the benefit of walking in the sunshine, whether or not the sun is "out." Once again, the relationship between mental health and exposure to sunshine is well established, with vitamin D as a side benefit.

So what does the Bible have to say about exercise? I know that 1 Tim 4:8 may sound condescending about the value of exercise. " For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things..." (NKJV) But Paul is not knocking exercise. He says it's valuable. It's just that, by comparison, godliness training is so much more valuable. And don't misread Paul. He was a pro at "buffeting his body and subduing it" so it would serve him in the rigorous ministry to which God had called him. (1 Cor 9:24-27)

So how do we prioritize exercise in our lives? First of all, we need to make a commitment to doing it. Tell yourself that bad things will happen if you don't exercise. Tell yourself that good things will happen if you do exercise. Second, schedule it. Put it in your calendar with some crazy alarm to get your attention, and get to the gym, or out of your chair to begin that long walk. Don't take "No" for an answer.

Finally, try to multitask. (I know, the experts tell us we never really multitask.) What I mean is that you combine exercise with some "godliness training." Let me give you an example. When I swim, I rehearse a Bible verse per length of the pool. These are verses I have memorized over the years. I use the Topical Memory System of a Christian organization called The Navigators. Do a browser search. You won't regret it. Alternatively, I often pray through ACTS (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication) as I walk the neighborhood. Try it. You won't regret it.

Butt to end, pun intended, get off your butt! Your sergeant is barking at you! Do it!

Blessings,

The Christian Bipole