CELC Column Exercise

"What's Pastor Holley Thinking?"

November 15, 2004

Today I am thinking about exercise. That may sound odd. One of the learning moments of my recent sabbatical was discovering once again how important exercise is to healthy living.

During the sabbatical, not only did I run (I am a recreational jogger), but Janet and I went on more than a dozen hikes. We found some wonderful trails in the Blue Ridge, many of which might be familiar to you, others unfamiliar. It was a great joy to get into the mountains and spend the bulk of a day hiking.

Two things happened on these hikes. First, Janet and I were able to get in some healthy exercise. Most of the trails were not difficult, but a couple were straight up. Janet counted about 22 switch backs on one of the straight up hikes. It was a challenging hike, to say the least. This kind of exercise was good for both of us.

The second thing that happened was the thorough enjoyment we discovered again of the beautiful creation God has given us. The views from the Blue Ridge are truly breath taking. We sat eating lunch on top a ridge one day and could see both sides of the mountains, the Valley as well as the Charlottesville direction. It was a stunning. And it was only one hike of many where we saw and photographed incredible scenes. How blessed we are to live in such a beautiful place.

I recently saw an article form a Mayo Clinic publication, Health Quest. The opening sentence reads: Being healthy means having healthy relationships with family, friends, co-workers and others and exercising regularly. Who can argue with the Mayo Clinic? We need to exercise regularly, even if it is only adding a few steps as we walk from our car to a store.

The Health Quest article continued, As your schedule fills up with the busyness of the coming holidays, remember to take time to nurture your relationships and exercise. Very sound advice. Janet and I can affirm that advice on the basis of our recent time spent nurturing our relationship, seeing what God has blessed us with, and strengthening our health through the hikes we made.

You choose how you want to nurture relationships and exercise. The, as the Nike advertising says, Just do it.

- Pastor Holley