EP. 72 EquipU Resource: Spiritual and Physical Implications of Exercise - A Tool to Help Hearts Towards Worship

In this episode, the hosts, Mike, Shauna, and Jeremy discuss the implications of both spiritual and physical exercise - how it can reveal and expose what an individual is worshiping. They discuss a biblical perspective towards exercise; all exercise is to glorify God, it reveals what a person values and treasures, and draws attention to deceitful desires and what they can produce. Lastly, they discuss the physical and emotional benefits of exercising. - Exercise - excerpt from the monthly (August) EquipU piece: - Exercise has wonderful potential to positively impact one’s mental state in various ways. It is also important to note that while not emphasized in Western culture, exercise at root, is a spiritual activity. It is a spiritual activity because one’s motives for doing anything, including exercise, are ultimately anchored in what an individual is worshipping. - 1 Cor. 10:31 - "Whatever you do" "do all" "to the glory of God" - Creating a purpose statement - placing God at the center of why you do a particular activity/exercise, etc. - Gal. 5:16-17 - competing desires - Matt. 6:21 - what does the person value - Eph. 4:22-24 - deceitful desires and what they can produce - The physical and emotional benefits of exercising - Endorphin release - improving sleep quality, mood, and cognitive function - Neurotropic release - learning ability - Adrenal functioning - improving mod, and ability to cope with stress - Habituation