Last week I decided that I needed to get back into shape. My son is about as big as me, and playing football. If I’m going to be able to dominate him in the occasional basement wrestling match, I need to do something. I’ve got the “dad-strength” advantage, but I know that it’s only a matter of time before he gains the upper hand. And my lovely wife has been losing weight and hitting the local YMCA, so I’ve got to keep pace.
Now, I’m not terribly out of shape. I keep pretty active, watch what I eat, and have managed to keep off the 40 pounds I dropped about 10 years ago. But I’ve got a buddy who is a trainer at the Y, and he said he’d be glad to work with me.
To set the record straight, the last time I worked out with weights was in college. I wasn’t terribly consistent back then. Before that, I was a back up quarterback in high school, and the coaches didn’t really care if I got stronger or not. It doesn’t take a lot of muscles to hold the ball for the kicker on extra points!
My buddy Josh took me through 3 different workouts last week. I was expecting bench-presses and squats; I got lots of 4 exercise/4 groups, targeting different muscle groups. Loads of core stuff. Not much more than body weight. To be honest, I’m not as sore as I thought I’d be. I can get through the workout in about an hour. And I’m liking it.
But do you know what is working best for me? The accountability of meeting Josh at the Y 3 days a week. He’s patient and encouraging, knows more about getting in shape than I do, and walks me through each day’s workout.
I think that’s the pattern for discipleship that works best, too. Find someone who knows a little more than you do, who will meet with you regularly, give you good instruction, practical advice, and encouragement.
What do you think? Do you see the similarities?
0 Comments