Holistic Development on a Personal Level

This one goes out to all my health conscious, working out, running, physical training friends...and everyone else interested in my random thoughts :)

Being that I've been reading about holistic child development, I thought that I should consider my own development in a holistic way.  I've always enjoyed physical exercise but just never been able to make it a consistent part of my life.  Travis, my brother-in-law, does his best to run three times a week.  I figured that I used to run, so maybe I need to join him and try to become a healthier person.  He runs pretty much uphill for the first 20 minutes and then downhill for about ten and then finishes his run with a little uphill stretch and a three or four block cool down.  Thinking I was up for the challenge, I changed into my running gear, plugged in my earbuds and followed close behind. 

Running at 8500 ft.  is a little bit different than running on Regina's prairie flatland roads where the biggest hill you encounter is a pothole!  Oh did I mention that the last 6 or 7 minutes of the 20 minute up hill is a staircase?  Ya, I counted 555 steps (give or take a few) as I was definitely not running up them.  What I was doing was more like the slow climb of a crippled over elderly man combined with the winded wheezing of punctured tire!  After the 5 km 'run' was finished (in 42 minutes)  I felt quite a sense of accomplishment (after I caught my breath).  I told Travis that I started the run in Chariots of Fire mode and finished in Eye of the Tiger victory!  It felt good.

So why do I share this little victory?  Because little victories can be built on.  I have been running with him twice since that run a couple weeks ago.  I even went for a run on my own a couple days ago.  I elected for the much more picturesque run along the river though.  I'm not so much a sucker for punishment when I don't have positive peer pressure (encouragement right?) to motivate me.  The 35-minute run at this altitude was still enough to get the heart rate up and make me feel as though I'd run a marathon.  And that sense of accomplishment makes me want to go again.  Maybe later today?

If you struggle to be in the Word, to spend time in prayer, to eat healthy, to develop close relationships, to exercise, build on the little victories this week and ask God to continue to mold and shape you into the image of His Son.