Amy Jackson- Exercise

Why do we exercise? Is it for ourselves or for others? I know many people who exercise in order to lose weight; to meet a social expectation of a "perfect" body. However, there is no such thing. How are we supposed to find joy in exercising when it is to make people think more of us? Last year I started running. I ran a mile everyday for about a month, which is a lot for me. I really enjoyed it because I felt good when it was over. After a while it became a routine and that feeling faded. I think this is similar to the spiritual life. It was when I started running longer than a mile, when I stretched myself, that I started to enjoy it and get better at it. I think we were made for physical activities. However, we do not realize how easily we pervert them. 1 Timothy 4:8 says, "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." What if we put as much obsession for becoming spiritually "fit" as we do for being physically fit. We get into a routine and are comfortable with just a mile everyday. We become comfortable with an hour of church every Sunday morning. But it is when we stretch ourselves that we become stronger.