WHY to Fitness

Unveiling the Secrets to a Stress-Free Fit Life

• Aaron O’Connell • Episode 19

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What if the key to achieving your fitness goals isn’t more time at the gym but less stress in your life? Welcome to our enlightening conversation about the surprising effects of stress on our fitness journeys. We challenge you to rethink the role of stress in your life and its effect on your emotions, physical health, and behaviors. Join us as we delve into how transforming our minds, instead of simply following worldly patterns, can lead to a healthier, happier existence.

Imagine a world where your workouts are not a source of additional stress but a path to overall peace. It may sound counterintuitive, but we’re here to challenge the norm. We shed light on the downsides of stress-induced workouts and the destructive pursuit of material things. We draw on the wisdom of Matthew 6:21-34, encouraging a shift in focus from worldly concerns to God’s guidance. This spiritual perspective offers a refreshing take on fitness, inviting you to invest in the treasures of God rather than the fleeting rewards of physical achievement.

Now, let’s demystify the strategies to de-stress and find peace. Drawing inspiration from the Mayo Clinic’s advice, we explore prayer, gratitude, and the pursuit of a higher purpose. We’ll unpack the story of Martha and Mary from Luke 10, emphasizing the importance of spending time with God over being consumed by worldly tasks. We provide practical steps to replace stress patterns with healthier ones and to seek divine healing. Tune in to redefine your fitness journey and discover a path to peace beyond the gym.

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Aaron O'Connell:

When you're trying to do everything right but you're constantly stressing to do so. It's the same as like you're trying to eat in a sandstorm. No matter how well you're eating, no matter how nutritious that food is, if you're eating it in the middle of a sandstorm, you're going to be digesting sand, it's going to be dirty and, no matter what you do, you're going to have this buildup of sand that's going to be weighing you down. It's going to be clogging you up. Welcome to the Y2 Fitness Podcast. I'm your host, aaron O'Connell, and today we're going to be exploring why you're not reaching your goals, even though you may be doing everything right.

Aaron O'Connell:

I've been doing this fitness thing for a really long time and a lot of people come up to me asking for advice. Unfortunately, the advice that I give them is usually not what they want to hear. In the past, I would give them the advice that they wanted to hear, but now that I've found God and really found the secret of living and understanding how our body works, I give different advice. But that's because 1 Corinthians 1.27 says God chose the thing that world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise, and he chose the things that are powerless to shame those who think they are powerful. His kingdom is a backwards kingdom. A lot of the things go counter cultural to the way things think they should be. It's completely backwards. So why do you think fitness would be any different?

Aaron O'Connell:

1 Corinthians, 12 2, says do not copy patterns of this world, but instead be transformed by the renewing of your mind. But too often we're copying patterns of this world. When people are asking me for advice, they usually want me to show them another pattern of this world. Show me what I can do to get me to where I want to be. This is not proper thinking. So often it's not what more can we do, it's what less can we do. How can I stress less? Because symptoms of stress are real. It affects your emotions, your behaviors, your thinking ability, your physical health. No part of your body is immune, but we all handle stress differently and it manifests in our bodies in completely different ways. But there's a whole heap of side effects to having stress headaches, upset stomach, chest pain, insomnia, frequent colds and infections, loss of sexual desire or ability, dry mouth, clenched jaw, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, obesity, eating disorders, menstrual problems, skin and hair problems, gastrointestinal problems, all sort of colitis. The list just keeps going on. But still we are searching this new diet, this new workout plan and all that's going to do is stress more, unless you find an equal and opposite reaction to that stress. But in today's world, we're not looking how to do less to get more. That's not what people want. They want things faster. They want a new system, a new pattern of this world, but instead we need to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, like Romans. 12.2 says.

Aaron O'Connell:

So back to the gym, where people ask me all the time what should I do? And I started listening to what they're doing. They're usually the ones working out hard, the ones that are, because if you're asking a question in the first place, it means you care, it means you actually want something. So the people that care, they're asking what should I do? This is where personal trainers come in. This is where all the diets come in. What more can I do? But all they're doing is putting more stress on their body. When you're working out.

Aaron O'Connell:

Working out is adding stress to the body. If you don't have a proper diet, if you're not getting the proper calories, if you're not getting the proper sleep, working out can actually be harmful, but most people don't see it that way. Our bodies adapt to the working out and slowly but surely they change a little bit. But then life happens and then we get worse and our body becomes more resilient to lose the weight. And this time you're getting less healthy. Less healthy, you start developing all these diseases, whatever it may be, disorders, issues. And then what do we do? We go and search more of the doctors and we get more creams, more pills, more diets, a different way to work out. But this isn't what we need. We need more peace. That is what will really give us what we need. There's 1430 is clear when it says a peaceful heart leads to a healthy body.

Aaron O'Connell:

Jealousy is like cancer in the bones. And what's that jealousy coming from? The need for more, the need for change, the need to look to fit in with the Joneses, the need to have the need for world, the worldly pleasures. I need the six pack to feel okay. I need to lose the weight to feel okay. This is not peace, this is not working out of gratitude.

Aaron O'Connell:

Let me give you an example. So I have this buddy that's in the gym and he comes up to me. He genuinely is seeking, seeking answers, and he listens. It's one of the very few. And he came up to me and he's working out six days a week. He's going hard, he's pushing, he's pushing, but he's barely changing, if anything. Sometimes he's getting worse. He's feeling worse, more stress. His sleep is out of whack. He came up to me and I started talking to him.

Aaron O'Connell:

One of my first piece of advice was maybe you need to rest more. You need to do less. Give your body the time to rest, because when you're breaking down your muscle over and over and over again and not properly repairing it, you got a recipe for disaster. If you're not meeting it with the proper nutrition, you got a recipe for disaster. That's why you're seeing so much pain and suffering and health In the health industry. Disease is so much reliance on pharmaceuticals, because the world is just pushing to do more, do more, do more, do more, stress more, try to get it yourself and not relying on God.

Aaron O'Connell:

Matthew 621, 34 says it perfectly 621 to 34,. Here we go. Wherever your treasure is there, your desires of your heart will be. If it's in the gym, if it's in the physique, the desires of your heart will be there, because your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light, but when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. So if you're looking for selfishness, selfish reasons why you need to change, if you're looking for that next thing to change you, you have that false idol. Your whole body is going to be filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is. This is when people are turning to working out, turning to diets, thinking that's going to be their savior. That's why they're struggling so much. No one can serve two masters, for you can't serve God and be enslaved to money. That is why I tell you no one in the world.

Aaron O'Connell:

Do not worry about everyday life, whether you have enough food to eat, what clothes to wear. Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest. Can all your worries add to a single moment to your life? Why worry about it? Don't worry about these things. These are things that dominate the thoughts of unbelievers. But instead Search God, seek Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously and he will give you everything you need. Don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow has its own worries. Today's trouble is enough.

Aaron O'Connell:

And I say all that because we're not searching God. I'm not saying, oh, don't go to God and He'll give you the six pack. No, why do you need that six pack in the first place? Why do you need to lose that weight in the first place? Is it to feel better or is it to serve God more? Is it out of fear for not being around and not having the lifestyle you want, not being able to do what you need to do, or death fear of death or is out of celebration for life, out of celebration for the God-given body that God has given you? So I'm talking to this guy I'm talking today, actually and he's telling me he's like man, you know, I just I'm working out less, I'm not worrying as much and now, with all this added time that I have, I'm able to read books and I have more peace. And now that I have more peace, my workouts seem to be more effective, I'm getting more results.

Aaron O'Connell:

And I told him I'm like you see, when you're trying to do everything right, you're working out right, you're eating right, but you're constantly stressing to do so, it's the same as like you're trying to eat in a sandstorm. No matter how well you're eating, no matter how nutritious that food is, if you're eating it in the middle of a sandstorm, you're gonna be digesting sand, it's gonna be dirty and, no matter what you do, you're gonna have this buildup of sand and it's gonna be weighing you down, it's gonna be clogging you up. And that's what so many people are doing within the health and fitness industry. So many people are doing through their goals just in every aspect of life. They're doing the right things for the wrong reasons. They have the wrong why so they're stressing to do so? They're eating food in a sandstorm and unfortunately, this is what the world is like. This is what most people are doing. They don't even know any better.

Aaron O'Connell:

When I was in Mexico dirt roads when you drive by, it kicks up sand, it kicks up dirt and when I was driving on the bus and I was observing my surroundings, I saw this little old lady she had her bags both hands, just holding their bags walking down the street. Normally in America we just kind of slow down or, you know, try to be courteous, or, and when that dirt does fly up anyone that's holding that, they kind of protect themselves, not this little old lady. When we drove by kicking up all this sand, she didn't flinch. She kept walking through one of the deepest, darkest dust clouds that we just created, like nothing happened. It was all she knew it was a common place for that to happen. So why even exert the extra energy? She must have been thinking to herself.

Aaron O'Connell:

And unfortunately, too many of us are going through our health and fitness regiments, going through our life through these sandstorms, thinking that it's normal, not understanding the cleanliness that's offered on the other side, the other side that Jesus said he's gonna leave us with peace. John 14, 27,. I'm leaving you with a gift peace of mind and heart and the peace I give you as a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. But here we are troubled. We're troubled over our working out. We're troubled over our goals. We're stressing left and right, we're forgetting the truths of the Bible.

Aaron O'Connell:

Romans 8, 28 says we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. A lot of people say oh, I love God. They stop it at that part of the verse. Everything works good for the people that love God, but there's such thing as selfish love. You can love God and all that he does in his endless mercies is grace and all that he can do for you.

Aaron O'Connell:

But if you're constantly wanting God to just shower you with gifts that's only half the verse it says and are called according to his purpose for them, are you fulfilling your purpose? Are you allowing your working out, your goal achievement to fulfill the purpose that you were called to, or are you doing it for selfish reasons? If you're doing it for selfish reasons, it's going to lead to stress, and you heard all those side effects that I gave, and those were just the physical ones, because there's other sides of it Increased uses of alcohol, drugs or cigarettes, exhibiting more nervous behaviors, anxiety, procrastinating, avoiding responsibilities, changes in appetite or even eating too much or too little. All these things just from simply stressing you. Stressing because you're overweight and unhealthy and trying to do the right things is just going to produce more overweight, unhealthy things. It's a circle. It's a circle that the devil wants you to stay in.

Aaron O'Connell:

The Mayo Clinic, a non-Christian clinic, had a book that says how to stress less and here's the six ways that they actually stated Higher meaning, having a big enough. Why? Forgiveness, compassion, acceptance of others and seeing the good of others. Gratitude, and prayer and reflection. This is a non-Christian business. It's talking about prayer and reflection. It's talking about gratitude, being grateful for the things that we have. Instead of thinking of yourself as this fat tub of lard that's so lazy, why don't you sit here and praise God for the amazing body and understanding and saying praise God that I have the ability of choice, that I can go change my eating habits? Tomorrow I can go and start going to the gym and things can change. Praise God, not I have to go to the gym. Pour me, I gotta do this. It's a complete difference.

Aaron O'Connell:

There's another story that I want to bring up. It's one in the Bible and that's the story of Martha and Mary. It's found in Luke 10, 38 to 42. And there's Mary and Martha and they get into Martha's house and Mary sat at the Lord's feet listening all to Jesus' said. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She went up to Jesus and she said Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come help me, as the Lord said to her. My dear Martha, you are worried, upset, over all these details. So we have one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it and it will not be taken away from her.

Aaron O'Connell:

Martha was so worried about all the things she needs to do, all the things that needs to be done, instead of treasuring her time with Jesus, finding that peace. Are you worried about all the things you need to do? Are you worried more about your workouts, your diet plan, your plans, your structures, your programs, more than spending time with Christ, the Prince of Peace, the author of life, the giver of wisdom, the creator of your body? We need to search God first. We need to search Him, then everything's going to be that much easier. Then, when you go and you have the favor of the Lord, when you move mountains, move waters, part miracles happen. Instead of working so much harder, you can work so much less and have better results. That's what's happening with me. It's currently happening.

Aaron O'Connell:

Giving up steroids, all these other things in my past, worried, worried, just constantly, just depressed, anxious. Now, the more I spend time with the Lord, the more I find more peace than Him. The easier it is for me to do all the things that I struggled to do before, the easier it is to make right choices. The desires in my heart are no longer to find food as a comfort, because he's the only comfort I need. I don't need that comfort. I don't need my gym to make me feel like I have worth. But I get to go to the gym. I enjoy going to gym. I don't need to be ripped and cut up and have a six pack to make myself feel like I'm acceptable or that I'm good looking or whatever. No, I know I'm in the created in the image of God.

Aaron O'Connell:

God doesn't make mistakes. We're fearfully and wonderfully made, says the Bible. When I realize that and I realize the amazing gifts and abilities God has given me, it makes me just want to go work out harder, do all the right things better. That's what God has given me, so I can be ready and capable for anything that God, the devil or life throws my way. So I can inspire other people, so I can have what other people want. And when they ask me how much I'm struggling and stressing what I'm doing, what method, I say none other than serving my Lord, and it naturally comes. It throws them for a loop, but it's the way I can bring Christ into all that I do. Serves three.

Aaron O'Connell:

Five says trust in the Lord with all your heart. Don't depend on your own understanding. Seek his will and all you do and he will show you which paths to take. But instead we're worried about our own understanding. I got to work out. I got to eat this. I got to eat that. I got to have these diets. Don't eat carbs. You just got to go find that personal trainer. Got to go to CrossFit, got to go do all these things. Is that what his will is for you? Are you an athlete? Do you have the time to spend in the gym like that? Do you have the ability to cook all the food that you need to cook in order to follow that? Isn't it sustainable. Why don't you search God that hard? He'll start showing you a totally different way To continue after that. Proverbs three, five and six.

Aaron O'Connell:

It says don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones. But we're getting impressed with our own wisdom. Look at me I compete. Look at me I did this diet. Look at me I'm following this plan. Look at how wise I am. Look at all this stuff.

Aaron O'Connell:

We're stressing, stressing, stressing, and we're wondering why things aren't changing, why things get only worse, why we're going so hard and not seeing the results that we want, despite us doing all the right things. If you really want healing for your body, we fear the Lord. Turn away from evil. What is evil? Pursuing after selfish things, doing things for selfish gain, being a lover of the world, trying to do it all yourself? So how do we? What's some steps that we can start taking to stress less?

Aaron O'Connell:

Because if I follow the trail of your stress, it's going to take me to the deepest, your deepest fears. If I see that you're stressing over your children, it's because you're probably fearful that you're not a good mother or that you're not going to be a good father. If I see that you're stressing so much about your body and your weight and or your diet, your deepest fear is that you may die. You may be unhealthy. My Bible says to live as Christ, to die is gain. What are you so fearful about? Do you not believe that God is going to work? All things good for you?

Aaron O'Connell:

So when we're stressing, what I would really suggest is make a list of your biggest known sources of stress. Write them down. Write them down, see where they are. Then explain why each of these sources of stress stress you out. Write a list, then, what you do when you are stressed out. Then maybe figure out what you think would be a better course of action when you are stressed out. Look at those things, bring God into it, pray over it. Figure out why you're doing what you're doing.

Aaron O'Connell:

Philippians 4-6-7 says don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all that he has done. Then you're going to experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Aaron O'Connell:

We need to stop worrying. We need to stop walking through the sandstorms of life and thinking that it's just normal that you can't reach your goals, thinking, oh, it's my hormones, it's my hormones, that's why I can't lose weight. Then go find another pattern of this world and have them go and prescribe you these hormones. So then you get this change for one year, two years, five years. Then you find yourself even worse off than before because you didn't do the things that were needed to maintain that. Now you're dependent on these hormones. Now you're speeding things up when they were slowing down for a reason. Now you're depleted in another area. Now you're on a new medication, and then on a new medication, and then you become 65, 70 and you're on so many medications. This is what the world wants you to do to be dependent on these things, dependent on these prescriptions, dependent on all these false idols, all these things.

Aaron O'Connell:

But Jesus can heal you. His miraculous touch is right around the corner. But how much do you trust him? How much do you really believe that he has his best in mind for you? How much do you really believe that if you stopped working so hard and started instead searching God is hard, that he won't come and make up for that? That's my challenge. Let's start, or stop stressing so much and start finding peace. Peace is what our goal should be, because when we have peace, that means we're okay, that means we have joy, that means if you have all that we need, isn't that what we're trying to do is have all that we need. That's what will give us peace. But what do we think we need? All these worldly things? No, the world is going to pass. This is only temporary. Just stop striving for the temporary and start striving for the eternal.

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