Fit for Love Part 2: Why Fitness Matters

By Ashley McIlwain

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, thirty four percent of all adults over the age of twenty in America are obese with another thirty four percent being reportedly overweight. There is an obvious problem with the overall health situation of Americans. Lots of conveniences, oversized food portions, chaotic days, and career-driven lives are all contributing factors to these scary statistics. That is why it’s more crucial than ever to reacquaint ourselves with the importance of fitness and health.

Physical

Regular physical activity and a balanced diet lead to an overall improved quality of life while yielding a plethora of physical benefits. Check out a list of some of the reasons why fitness should be on the top of your priority list:

  • Weight Control – Exercising can help you lose weight, maintain weight, and ward off weight gain through the burning of calories. From vigorous activities like running and weight training to small ones like taking the stairs or parking in the back of the lot, it all counts and can help you reach and/or maintain your weight goals.
  • Diseases – It’s been proven that exercise can significantly decrease the risk of many diseases and illnesses. Preventing heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, strokes, diabetes, some cancers, and much, much more are part of why exercising along with a healthy diet can dramatically increase your quality of life.
  • Energy – I don’t know about you, but energy is a precious commodity for me. Physical activity can build your strength and boost your endurance while helping your heart and lungs to work more efficiently, which means that you will have more energy to accomplish all of your daily tasks.
  • Sleep – Many people struggle with either falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. Exercising has been proven to help you fall asleep faster as well as deepen your sleep, which is a good thing since sleep is an essential recovery process that leads to better overall functioning for your mind and body.

It is undeniable; there are numerous ways that exercising and eating right benefit your physical health. All of the above reasons contribute to living a longer and higher quality life.

Mental

In addition to the obvious physical benefits of a healthy lifestyle, there are mental rewards as well. When you make smart decisions with your food and fitness, you can enjoy better mental health, which is something that I think we all would agree is crucial.

  • Mood – Whether it’s a full-blown workout or a brisk walk in the park, physical activity has been shown to trigger various chemicals in your brain which can lead to feelings of happiness and relaxation. I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough of those in my life.
  • Confidence – Watching what you eat and exercising regularly can lead to a lot of physical benefits including a healthy weight, which can in turn boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. These can yield secondary benefits like going for that job promotion or walking away from that unhealthy relationship.
  • Disease – Both diet and exercise has been shown to help prevent mental illnesses and disorders related to depression, anxiety, and memory loss.
  • Overall Functioning – Poor nutrition can cause memory lapses and inhibit problem-solving skills as well as overall thought-processing. In contrast, a balanced diet with proper nutrients can improve all of these areas dramatically.

Mental health is just as important as physical health. In fact, our brain controls our physical functioning, so we definitely don’t want to neglect it. Proper nutrition and regular exercise are essential to maintaining optimal brain functioning and mental health.

Relational

Lastly but certainly not least, a healthy lifestyle can greatly improve your relational functioning. It’s amazing how the mind and body affect our relationships so significantly. This is just another reason, which ties in to the remainder of our Fit for Love series, why smart food choices and physical activity are absolutely imperative to incorporate into our lives.

  • Sex – (This is for the married folks.) Being in better physical shape can add some spark to your sex life. Not only does regular exercise leave you more physically capable of sex, but it also can leave you feeling more energized and confident, which can lead to sexual availability. For women, it’s been linked to enhanced arousal, and for men, those who exercise regularly have been shown to be less likely to struggle with erectile dysfunction than those who don’t exercise.
  • Mood – As mentioned above, a healthy diet coupled with regular physical activity leads to improved overall mood. That means less irritability, more relaxed, and happier – all of which are clearly good for a relationship.
  • Fun – Hear me out on this one. Exercise is a great way to spend some quality time with your spouse. Maybe it’s a walk around the block, an exciting dance class, a hike in the woods, or a swim in the pool. Whatever it is, you can easily take the need for exercise and turn it into the perfect opportunity for some quality time with your spouse. Also, cooking together can be a lot of fun too!
  • Desire­ – Taking care of your health usually means maintaining your appearance. As I emphasized in Fit for Love Part 1: The Need, this isn’t about being superficial or obsessed with some unrealistic, societal image of perfection. No, this is about being the best version of you possible, and when you do that, you feel good about yourself. Plus, with all of the racy ads, sexual content in TV, movies, and entertainment, and scantily clad women strolling around, it can be challenging for us and our spouse, especially men, to maintain their integrity and purity of mind. While there is no excuse for someone being irresponsible with their eyes, mind, or body, it would be nice to help our spouse only want to look one way … at us. Maintaining the best version of you possible is attractive to your spouse, and it will make you feel more confident about yourself as well. Plus, who doesn’t want to feel like their spouse thinks they are smoking hot and feel the same way about him or her?

The implications of health on your relationship can be tremendous. It’s not that your spouse’s love or attraction should be contingent on just outward appearances, but maintaining your appearance is part of the way we can communicate that we are committed to making the most of our marriage. 1 Corinthians 7:4 says, “The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.” We should want to take care of our bodies out of respect for one another. Additionally, I think it’s safe to say both parties would love for their spouse to live a long, healthy, quality life, and that comes from making smart nutritional and fitness decisions.

It’s obvious that living a healthy lifestyle reaps major rewards. Whether it’s physical, mental, or relational, the results are conclusive. Being healthy is the way to go.

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