There’s No Standing Still

I’ve worked out most of my life, give or take a season, and I’ve proven one theory over and over again. If you get off the exercise wagon it’s increasingly difficult to find the motivation to climb back on board. As of this writing, I’m managing to incorporate thirty minutes of daily conditioning into my busy lifestyle but honestly, I have a tenuous hold on the routine and I know it.

For the most part my fitness goals have changed over the years. I no longer aspire to being in tip top shape. These days I’m just trying to manage my muffin top. I say for the most part because I’ve recently resurrected a fitness goal I once abandoned. See, I’ve always wanted to have the upper body strength to do pullups because they’re billed as one of the best overall exercises at hammering your core, back, and arms at the same time and I love maximizing results in anything. Problem is I’ve never been able to do a pullup. No, not one.

Enter these huge rubber bands my niece told me about. By regularly hooking these little cheater bands to the pullup bar, and offsetting _________ number of pounds, a belle is supposed to be able to lift her body into pullup position until she is able to lift it by herself. And get this. It’s working! I can’t ditch the cheater bands, not yet, but I am doing pullups—and I’m steadily increasing the number of assisted reps I can do. At least I was.

I missed my workout last Friday and, surprise/surprise, by Monday it was all I could do to hit my mark. I’m amazed all over again by how quickly our bodies respond to what we require of them. At any given time, we are either getting stronger or growing weaker. There’s no standing still. That’s disheartening, but let me tell you something far more serious. That principle also applies to our spiritual lives. Our past devotion is precisely that. We are either growing closer to the Lord, or we are slipping further from Him. Where are you?

Hugs, Shellie