Since having my fourth child, I haven't exercised nearly as much as I'd like. One day I was thinking that this might be ok as long as I focusing on the kids. But then I read a talk from the October 2014 General Conference. And basically it said that our spirits are connected to our bodies so we need to take care both of them. I also know that my body is a sacred gift from God and I should take care of it, but how is a homeschooling mother of 4 supposed to find any time to fit in a workout? With baby it's hard to wake up early in the morning, and if I try to do it during the day it gets interrupted or it takes me an hour to get everybody ready and then they have to go with me...which they hate and complain about the whole time.
About 2 months ago I decided that I just needed to bite the bullet. I was awake most mornings at around 6 o'clock anyway, so I just decided to go running in the morning for a half hour. It started mostly walking in a little bit running, but then as I did it more, they're running was faster and the walking was less. There was that magical day when I ran the entire 3 miles in a half hour. I remember later that day walking up the hill near our house and not being winded.
Recently at a Stake conference, which is basically a meeting for church just locally, the President of the Stake was giving his talk. He talked about how he had read a talk from General Conference. He mentioned how the speaker had said our spirits and our bodies are connected and we cannot expect to receive revelation without keeping our bodies healthy. And then he talked about how he had decided that the easiest way for him to work out would be going running. He said that when he played sports with his kids, he was able to keep up with themnow. As I sat listening to his talk, I felt happy inside, seeing that somebody else, somebody that I hold in high regard, felt the same way. I had something in common with him.
I realize now our bodies are important and I do need to take care of mine. That doesn't mean I need to obsess over it, but I need to show the Lord I am grateful for this wonderful gift. I hope that as I keep my body in good shape, that I will be able to feel the Holy Spirit and keep my spirit in good shape as well.
