Fitness Journey Phase 1: The Fire Phase

by | Mindset

A few weeks back, I mentioned that there are six phases to a fitness journey. Taking some of the content from my book The Body Tithe Devotional, I gave an overview of each of the six phases. Today, I want to go a little more in depth on Phase 1: The Fire Phase. Here’s what I say about the first phase in The Body Tithe Devotional.

WEEKS 1–3 FIRE PHASE

You’re on fire! Excited to get started. Excited about the new exercise routine and maybe even the nutrition. If you’re coming back from an illness or injury, the prospect of getting back to the old you is exciting.

On the surface, this phase seems pretty self-explanatory. You finally want to do something about your fitness and you’re actually excited about it.

If that’s all you are thinking about, however, you are missing an opportunity.

This phase is preceded by you coming to some kind of conclusion as to “why” you want to get fit. You may not have spent much time contemplating it but that’s where so many people make mistakes. Most people gloss over this or don’t dig deep enough.

KNOW THIS: Taking time to understand and develop your “why” can make the difference between fitness being a month-long or a life-long practice.

I talk about developing your “why” in Setting Fitness Goals – Part I. I’d encourage you to read that post in its entirety. But here’s a snippet that helps identify why the “why” is so important:

“… we’ve identified the “Why” which is equally, if not more important than the “What.” How come this is? Because if we don’t know why we are doing what we are doing, it’s too easy to become distracted and/or discouraged. But by identifying the why, we can get at the heart of the issue, which often times reveals an emotional and/or spiritual need and also an entity outside ourselves.”

Did you catch that? Without a well-defined “why,” when plateaus come, we are far too easily knocked off kilter. If we ever only go skin-deep, we’ll never reach the heart.

Speaking of the heart, this is the BIGGEST MISTAKE CHRISTIANS MAKE with their fitness, they are NOT focused on the heart… not their heart, nor the heart of the Father.

This is understandable really. Fitness seems like such a physical issue. So we focus on the physical results: getting stronger, thinner, feeling better, running faster, __________.

Taking time to understand and develop your “why” can make the difference between fitness being a month-long or a life-long practice.

The problem is, when we stop seeing physical results, we lose motivation, make compromises, and the backsliding begins… again.

Don’t misunderstand: wanting and hoping for physical results is not wrong. They just SHOULD NOT be our focus. They SHOULD NOT be our “why.”

What if, however, our “why” is simply to honor God with our bodies because we are told to, because it’s an act of worship, sacrifice, submission, love, ministry, and gratitude?

I’ll tell you what happens: our “fire” never has to die. Our excitement never needs to diminish.

We have the opportunity to bring glory and honor to the God of all creation and we can do this NO MATTER WHAT the results are.

So my encouragement during the Fire Phase is to focus on really understanding your “why.” You’re going to need to come back to it time and time again.

Let’s face it… passion only gets us through so much. When it starts to fade, having a consistent, unwavering “why” to come back to, that will be your rock.

And for the Christian, there’s no better rock than the Lord.

SO HOW ARE YOU PREPARING FOR YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY? ARE YOU PLANING AHEAD, PREPARING FOR THE UPS AND DOWNS? HAVE YOU FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING A “WHY?”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Struggling with weight as a kid, I transformed my life through fitness in my 20s. I came to understand that God cares how we steward our bodies, just like He cares how we steward our time, talent, money and more. So I launched Body Tithe University in 2012 and shortly after, released The Body Tithe Devotional.

Click to learn more →

Do You Have “Rooftop” Friends?

It should be no secret that having accountability can make a huge difference with your health and fitness. In fact, there are studies that prove it: • Healthy partners influence their partner to be healthier. • Those who share progress on social media lose more...

The Nutrition Tithe

For you church-goers out there, you know that basket they pass around during service? Some call it offering. Others call it giving or donations. Still others refer to it as a tithe. It's when you give some money to the church to help the church fulfill it's mission....

Your Kids And Your Fitness

I couldn't believe it. There's no way it could be right. So I double-checked the math. 9 + 2  + 11 + 3 ... plus ... carry the ... divide by 4.2 ... equals... 15. FIFTEEN! I was right the first time... but I wished I wasn't. We had completed a little sugar experiment...

Ignoring Your Fitness Is Selfish

Ignoring your fitness is selfish. There… I said it. I know it’s not easy to hear. I know I just lost some friends on social media. I know it doesn’t seem compassionate. I also know it’s the truth. Before I tell you why ignoring your fitness is selfish, let me throw...

Is Your Sleep Making You Fat?

When trying to lose fat, people rarely think about their sleep. They think about needing to exercise more or eat healthier.  These are both good things, but they're not the complete picture. Since the beginning, I've been trying to teach people this equation: EXERCISE...

The 6 Phases of a Fitness Journey

NOTE: This post was adapted from the "Introduction" of the book The Body Tithe Devotional: Spiritual Encouragement for Your Fitness Journey. Whenever somebody starts a new fitness regimen, be it a running program, rehab, home fitness workouts, you name it, they are...

ALL ARTICLES →