I am a personal trainer and fitness instructor. For me it’s all about form, balance, flexibility and breathing. Not surprised? How about if I told you that these aren’t simply physical things you try to get your body to do properly but also spiritual disciplines you need to grow as a whole person—primarily spiritual disciplines? What’s good for your body is even better for your soul.
#1
Stretch
#2
breathe
#3
listen
#4
balance
STRETCH
I was a young wife with a kid, a husband in the Air Force and a job waiting tables at a steakhouse. I’d never set foot in a gym, but the food at work—those baked potatoes dripping with butter and sour cream, not to mention the desserts—were getting the worst of me. “Hit the health club,” my girlfriends said, seeing the transformation I was undergoing.
The first thing I tried was high-impact aerobics, where you really get your heart rate up. I lasted about 10 minutes. So I signed up for something called “dance thin.” There was a lot of stretching and toning on the mat along with some low-impact cardiovascular exercises. Now this was more like it. An hour-long class that didn’t take me a week to recover from.
Here’s what that class taught me most: how critical stretching is. It increases our energy and overall range of motion, which reduces tension and stress. Before any exercise, whether it’s a pickup game of basketball or an hour of gardening, it’s absolutely essential to stretch. This is especially true for inactive people. Figure out which muscles you’ll need and stretch them. Gently. Never bounce or jerk the muscles (bouncing can cause injury). Keep your stretches smooth and slow, and breathe into the movement, deep, sure breaths that draw rich, oxygenated blood to the muscles.
As a kid I used to sit in an old willow tree in our backyard. If I really stretched I could reach the top and from the highest branches look out onto the world. I’ve locked that image in my head. Stretching is a chance to shake off stiffness, become limber like that old willow and reach for the sky. I learned that stretching isn’t just physical. I try to stretch myself spiritually every day too—reminding myself of how God can do anything in our lives if we just let him in. That requires spiritual flexibility. When I stretch a part of my body I think about opportunities where I can meet God in my daily life, where I can stretch my faith. Try it.
BREATHE
The summer after my freshman year of high school, our family drove to Houston for what my father vaguely described as a vacation. We checked into a high-rise hotel with a swimming pool on the roof, but my mother went to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. She didn’t return for weeks, and it was then my father explained she was being treated for cancer.
When I finally visited her, I was shocked by her appearance. Her head was bald from chemotherapy, and her body looked so frail and thin that I literally lost my breath. For a moment, it felt as though life had stopped. Later we talked about the wig she would need to buy, but the shock of seeing her that way stayed with me for a very long time.
My mother didn’t recover.
In moments when the fear of life without her overwhelmed me, I would hold my breath without even realizing it. Isn’t it strange how something as natural as breathing can suddenly become difficult during painful seasons of life? Emotional pain often affects us physically more than we realize.
Breathing is essential to life. As we inhale, oxygen fills our lungs and flows through our bloodstream. As we exhale, the body releases what it no longer needs. Shallow breathing increases tension and stress throughout the body, while deep breathing helps calm the nervous system and restore peace.
Deep breathing is one of the simplest and most beneficial exercises we can practice. You can do it anywhere, while sitting at your desk, folding laundry, waiting at the doctor’s office, shopping for groceries, or driving down the road. Sometimes I simply pause, inhale deeply, and slowly exhale while focusing on God’s presence.
Breathing reminds me that God is near.
In Genesis, God breathed life into Adam. Our breath itself is a gift from Him. Every breath we take is a reminder that God sustains us, strengthens us, and fills us with life, even during difficult seasons.
Now when I practice deep breathing, I think about God breathing peace, strength, and life into my spirit, mind, and body.
Take a deep breath today.
God is closer than you think.
LISTEN
Eventually, I became so passionate about fitness that I was asked to teach classes. By then, exercise had become much more than a workout to me. It was a lifeline.
My marriage was falling apart, but I had discovered something I truly loved. I saw real transformation in my students, the same kind of transformation I was experiencing in my own life. Before long, I was running my own fitness business, teaching classes, exercising daily, and raising my girls as a single mother.
Then suddenly, I hit a wall.
An overwhelming exhaustion came over me. One evening, I went to the emergency room and told the doctor I felt as though my body was shutting down. After asking countless questions, he told me I simply needed more rest. While that may have been partly true, deep down I knew my body was trying to tell me something more.
I continued exercising, but instead of improving, I felt worse.
After several more hospital visits, I decided to seek another opinion. This time, doctors admitted me and ran extensive tests. That’s when they discovered I had a heart defect and would need open-heart surgery.
Any sense of relief from finally having answers quickly gave way to fear and uncertainty. Yet through it all, God remained faithful. The surgery was successful, and over time I regained my strength and returned to teaching stronger and healthier than before.
Sometimes I wonder what might have happened if I had ignored the warning signs or stopped searching for answers.
One of the greatest benefits of exercise is learning to listen to your body. When you move consistently and take care of yourself physically, you become more aware when something doesn’t feel right.
I believe God often speaks to us through our bodies just as He speaks to our hearts.
Sometimes He whispers through exhaustion.
Sometimes through pain.
Sometimes through stillness.
We live in a noisy world filled with distractions, responsibilities, and constant movement. Yet God often speaks most clearly when we slow down enough to listen.
Now, when I exercise, I’m reminded to listen closely, not only to my body, but also to the voice of God guiding my life.
What is God trying to tell you today?
BALANCE
On a physical level, balance means keeping your body steady and properly aligned. On a deeper level, balance is the ongoing pursuit of harmony in our spirit, mind, and body. Balance helps us stay grounded when life feels unstable.
Think about a car with four tires. Each tire works together to create a smooth and steady ride. If one tire suddenly fails, the entire car becomes difficult to control. Life works much the same way. When one important area of our lives is neglected, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually, everything else can begin to feel unsteady too.
One of my favorite tools to use in fitness classes is the stability ball. It looks like a large beach ball, but simply sitting on it activates the abdominal muscles and naturally encourages proper posture and alignment. If the body does not constantly adjust and engage, you’ll fall right off the ball. Those adjustments happen almost automatically, often without us even realizing it.
In fact, I sometimes use a stability ball as my chair while working at the computer. Even while sitting still, my body is actively working to maintain balance and stability. I also use the ball for exercises like curls, sit-ups, knee tucks, stretching, and strength training. Balancing activates muscles throughout the entire body.
Life requires balance too, and maintaining it is not always easy.
Like many women, I constantly juggle responsibilities, family, ministry, work, health, and faith. There are seasons when life feels overwhelming and everything competes for our attention. During those moments, I’m reminded that God is the true source of balance in my life.
When I lean on Him, He strengthens me in ways I cannot always see.
Prayer reminds me a lot of exercising on a stability ball. It strengthens areas deep within us that may otherwise go unnoticed. Faith keeps us grounded when life feels uncertain and helps us remain steady through challenges, change, and pressure.
Perhaps that’s why Scripture often compares our spiritual life to an athletic journey:
“Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1
Every day I continue learning what it means to stretch, breathe, listen, and find balance, not only in fitness, but in every area of life.
And maybe true balance is not found in holding everything together perfectly, but in learning to lean more fully on God.