WHY to Fitness

How to Escape the Pitfalls of Pride in Your Fitness Journey

• Aaron O’Connell • Episode 25

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What if the obsession with physical perfection contradicts your spiritual beliefs? Listen in to a thought-provoking conversation with Aaron of WHY to Fitness as we navigate the rocky terrain of pride and how it can derail your fitness journey. We shine a light on the often-overlooked dangers of excessive focus on fitness, including body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and mental health issues. Drawing from the biblical tale of Nebuchadnezzar, we underscore the perils of arrogance and the need for humility in our approach to fitness.

Join us as we redefine fitness goals through the lens of faith, challenging conventional wisdom and questioning the motives behind our relentless pursuit of physical perfection. Aaron, with his blend of pastoral counseling and fitness coaching, imparts invaluable insights into achieving a balance between spiritual, mental, and physical health. Listen in to this engaging episode as we pave the way towards a fitness routine that prioritizes glorifying God over fueling vanity.

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Aaron O'Connell:

We got to take practical steps to remain humble in our fitness journey. We got to set goals that honor God, not just our vanity. We have to change our why. Examine yourself. Why are you in the gym? Why are you dieting? Why are you working out so hard? Is it for selfish ambition or is it to glorify God? Welcome to the WHY to Fitness Podcast. I'm your host, aaron O'Connell, and today we are talking about the pitfalls of pride in fitness.

Aaron O'Connell:

The Bible warns in Proverbs 16-18 that pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Is there healthy pride or is all pride sinful? Healthy pride, I would say, is satisfaction from achievements. But sinful pride is self-exaltation, because it's not necessarily wrong to take pride in something we've done well. This kind of pride isn't boastful or self-centered, but is a feeling of satisfaction over what we've accomplished. Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes, declared nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works.

Aaron O'Connell:

But sinful pride, the kind that the Bible condemns, is far different. Sinful pride is self-centered and boastful and it makes us take credit for everything that we are and everything that we do, instead of realizing that we are dependent on God In our pride, we ignore God and believe we can get along without him. The Bible says in the pride of your heart, you say I am a God, but you are a mere mortal and not a God. That's in Ezekiel 28-2. The tragedy is that pride blinds us to our faults. More than that, pride blinds us to our need for God. Pride. We become self-confident and independent and we see no reason to humble ourselves before God or seek his wisdom and help. But pride is a dead-end road and eventually it catches up with us. Unfortunately, we understand that in multiple places of our lives, but when it comes to our fitness, pride runs rampant. We think we got it figured out. We don't need to bring God into it. Let's follow this man-made diet. Let's do it all for our own image. Matthew 23-12 says for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. We see it all the time with all the constant selfies on the Instagram, on social media, everyone exalting themselves. Look at me, look at me. That's how pride manifests in fitness. It's focusing on the outward appearances, comparing oneself to another. That's why there's so much mental health issues going on, so much comparison, so much depression that is running around rampant because we're comparing ourselves to others.

Aaron O'Connell:

But when you find those that are in fitness, even Christians, what are they doing? They're focusing on their outward appearance. You go look around at all these quote-unquote Christian personal trainers, christian health coaches, and what are they focusing on? They're focusing on outward appearances. They're focusing on selfish ambition. What can you achieve? Get into your best shape, let's get you that six pack, let's get you the body of your dreams. But James 3-16 says for where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder in every evil practice. Examine yourself. Why are you in the gym? Why are you dieting? Why are you working out so hard?

Aaron O'Connell:

Is it for selfish ambition or is it to glorify God? Philippians 2-3 says Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourselves. How much comparison goes on in the gym. How much selfish ambition, vain conceit. I see it all the time Everyone looking towards their own goals and you rarely get anyone to answer. How does that glorify God? Is it really making you healthier, because healthy isn't just I can lift more, or I'm eating this certain way, because most people don't see it as the totality of their whole lives, if you're struggling to do something right and creating stress. That very stress could be holding you back.

Aaron O'Connell:

Pride has a barrier to progress, because James 4-6 says God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. If you want God's favor, we can't have pride within our fitness journey. It can't be about our six packs. It can't be about our bigger booties. It can't be about our more toned legs. All those things are vain conceit. Instead, it should be how can I glorify God more? How can I be healthier? We need to replace this physical perfection that we're trying to go after and go after God more, or else fitness is becoming an idol. Ask yourself do I feel like I'm putting more time and effort into my body than I am into glorifying God? Am I putting more time and effort and focus on my diet, on my workouts, than I am doing the purpose that God has called me for Helping others, serving others, worshiping Him, reading the Bible, praying. We can't have those flip-flopped.

Aaron O'Connell:

Pride can really get into unhealthy behaviors as well, such as over-exercising, improper dieting, using performance-enhancing drugs. Just go look around, look at all these quote-unquote Christian trainers, christian gym goers, and you ask them are you taking anything? And so many will say, oh, I'm on testosterone, oh, I'm on this type of performance-enhancing drug, all these things because if I didn't have them I couldn't be myself. They're relying on something. They're using these things to make them feel okay, to make them try to be better. They're not utilizing God's amazing body that God breathed into creating his own image, because of that unhealthy behavior.

Aaron O'Connell:

I'm not saying that all of it is unhealthy. I truly believe you can use testosterone in a healthy way, but most people aren't. They have no clue how many calories they should be eating, how much protein they're getting, what they're doing. They're over-training, they're under-eating, they're relying on these things. And then they're wondering why their bellies are bloated, why they can't get rid of these last little bits of fat, whatever it is, because they're relying on these substances. For what? So they can live a better life here on earth. We're only temporary citizens here. We should be doing everything for the glory of God. Whether you eat or whether you drink. Do it all for the glory of God. The Bible says it's very hard, very hard, to justify testosterone usage to bring glory to God. It's hard. Probably only a handful of people that can.

Aaron O'Connell:

That's my story I've had when I was bodybuilding, when I was taking steroids, when I was all about myself when I was competing, but still trying to navigate Christian life, trying to figure it out, counting the cost, proclaiming to everyone that I am a Christian people. If someone would come up to me and say, hey, how do you justify steroids? And I would try my best to justify what I couldn't. I was so focused on becoming better. But what did better mean? Well, it was a comparison to another person, so I could be more cut than that person, bigger than that person, even when people would say, oh no, it's just so I can be better than myself.

Aaron O'Connell:

Well, there's pride. Again, it's all focused on self. We need to do things to get better for God. We don't need steroids, we don't need these unhealthy and proper diets or over-exercising, because it's going to kill your adrenals and then more health issues are going to come. And then, when you start developing in it, when you're getting to your 40s, your 50s, all these types of things, you're going to blame it on age, when really it was improper living, improper working out, improper dieting, using these supplements, taking 400, 300, 500 milligrams of caffeine before every single workout, just doing all these things for what? So you can feel okay, so you can feel superior. This goes against everything that the Bible says. Yet you have so many people giving high fives, saying good job, way to take care of yourself, but they really don't understand what true health is. They're caught up in their pride.

Aaron O'Connell:

Let's look at the story of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 430 to 37 and the consequences of his pride. Here he's looking over this kingdom. Or let's make it like a bodybuilder here's Nebuchadnezzar looking over, looking into the mirror, admiring his pecs, admiring his biceps, like look at what I built, look at all the work that I'm doing, look at the diet that has got me here, taking all credit for himself, not even a acknowledging God. He did this for his kingdom and what did God do? He struck him right there. For seven years he had to wander around eating grass like a donkey, went out of his mind.

Aaron O'Connell:

There's no coincidence that a lot of people that are focused so hard in the gym have body dysmorphia, have eating disorders, struggle with depression, struggle with anxiety, struggle with all these health issues. Because they're doing it and they're creating this false God, this fitness iron God. That is the thing that's going to change them. But instead we need to be more like John the Baptist. We need to be like John the Baptist, where in John 3.30 he said he must become greater. I must become less. We've got to stop focusing on ourself and look how we can glorify God.

Aaron O'Connell:

I myself am somebody that does take major I won't say pride, but what I will say is that I will. It's not that self-centered, but I take very, very well satisfaction in my accomplishments. Inside the gym I do. But when someone asks me what the goal is, my goal is to be ready and capable for anything God or the devil throws my way. My goal is to bring more people to Christ. My goal is to help others realize that this gym, this workout, these diets mean absolutely nothing. This is just a way to stay healthy, to be ready to do and answer the call of God. That looks different for everyone. You don't have to be in there pounding out major weights. You don't have to be. Maybe you don't even need to be in the gym. You just need to be ready and capable whatever God lays on your heart. But we got to drop the pride. We need to emulate Jesus in our lives and our fitness routines.

Aaron O'Connell:

He was so focused what he was doing, but he took the time If someone came up and took him off his path. He'd go oh no, I gotta eat my food. Oh no, I gotta get my workout. No, they were the first one. He would be the first one to give it up and go help that person move. He'd be the first person to be like, oh okay, let's go eat this, sure, okay. So then he wouldn't be any type of comparison. He wouldn't make that person feel bad for eating some certain type of way. No, he would meet them where they are, at stoop, down onto their level, eat the food that's put in front of them and say, hey, how can I help you? And if you are doing all the right things and you're not struggling and you're not stressing to do these things and you're really focused on glorifying God, it will become easy. You will find freedom. Then, when someone puts that pizza, when they put those desserts right in front of you, you'll be able to eat them. And when they say, how do you stay so fit? You eat these foods, that's your opportunity to preach about Christ. But if you're stuck in some pattern of this world and you're saying I have to do this, I have to do this, you're probably gonna end up being selfish. You're probably gonna end up being all about yourself and not have and overlooking at ways that you can minister to others.

Aaron O'Connell:

We got to take practical steps to remain humble in our fitness journey. We got to set goals that honor God, not just our vanity. We have to change our why. Why do you want to get fit? It's not to go. So I can have my six pack, so I feel good. Got to make my booty bigger so I can attract a husband? No, let's set goals so I can take care of my temple, like 1 Corinthians tells me I should, because it's my temple. Whether you drink, do it all for the glory of God. So I can take care of this amazing gift that God gave me. So I can take care of my body. So I can be here as long as I possibly can to showcase what a God-fearing, god-following person looks like, how peaceful they can be. So I can be able to go into the missions field and not have to worry about if I'm overweight or if my insulin jumps, or if I can't eat for two days, that all of a sudden I'm low blood sugar. Oh, no, passing out All these are worries, but if you have your health under control, if you are physically fit if you know you can go run a mile in seven minutes. You're not going to sit here and be like, oh, I can't do this, I can't help this person.

Aaron O'Connell:

Let's set goals that really honor God and not just our vanity. Let's embrace community and accountability so we can be humble in a culture that often promotes that self-glorification. Let's embrace it. Let's get a bunch of band of brothers around in a sport, in a fitness realm where it's just so selfish. So about yourself? Let's bring other people around. Let's go. Let's take the time to spread the gospel within the gym. Now make it big. Oh, I can't talk. Oh, they're on my machine, oh no, and just like no. Let's take that time to embrace community.

Aaron O'Connell:

But instead, unfortunately, everyone's trying to just be so loud of look at me, look at me, look at my booty pop, look at my, look at them. And they're showing up with their booties hanging out, their boobs hanging out. All these girls they got, you got men that are constantly flexing in the mirror. I'm not saying any of this is wrong, but you have to look at it as like are you spending more time looking at yourself, comparing yourself, finding pride and happiness in your looks? Are you going on your social media and bursting out and looking at this prideful like, look at me, look at me. You come, look at what I have. Are you a personal trainer or a coach that says, look at what I have, you can have this too.

Aaron O'Connell:

Let's take a lesson from first Thessalonians 411 through 12. Let's make it our ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind our own business and to work with our hands so that our daily life may win the respect of outsiders, so that they will not be dependent on anybody. Let's showcase how we can just be shining bright, like the face of Moses off Mount Sinai. Let's dedicate everything to God. Let's be peaceful in all that we do. Let's be willing to help others, to give advice to other people. Let's be willing to give up the machines that somebody else may want. Let's smile at other people. Let's not be all about self and say, oh, these are my goals, just be like. No, I'm just here to glorify God. What about you? Let's take the time to help others. That's what this is all about.

Aaron O'Connell:

And, like I said, pride will affect your psychological and your mental health as well. Stress is going to come from maintaining too much pride within your physical, you will get older, your performance will go down. If it's all about your prideful self, all about you versus you, which, if it's you versus you, one has to lose and that's going to be you. But if it's all about you all the time, things will go wrong. We are living in a sinful nature. You will then be stressed, you will feel burnout, you will have social isolation. All these things are going to affect your mind. We need to be renewed by the transforming of our mind, not screw up our mind by our transforming. Also, we have the spiritual toll of pride. We're going to distance ourselves from God's grace. Matthew 10.39 says whoever finds his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Aaron O'Connell:

Are we too busy investing in our own lives, investing in our worldly selves right now, or are we going to do it when we can, but at any moment? When God calls we drop it, we can drop it. We don't have to be in the gym, we don't have to be doing it. There are no half-twos, there are a lot of get-twos. Where do you fall on that?

Aaron O'Connell:

Let's nurture the fruits of the spirit in our fitness regime. Our regiment should be surrounded with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control that's what our routines should be surrounded with. Not no pain, no gain, no love. Love for the temple that God gave us. Joy for the ability that he gives us to move, because at any moment your arms could get blown off, you could be paralyzed, you could get in an accident. All these things let's take a pure joy that we get to wake up and go move, that we get to move these massive amounts of weight, whatever it is. Not I have to do this for something else. No, find joy in the journey. Let's find peace in what we're doing, not stress. Let's have patience for our change, for our transformation, because God is in the business of results. We're in the business of obedience. So let's do this out of obedience when we're in the gym.

Aaron O'Connell:

When we're out of the gym, let's show kindness to others, not flex over our masculinity or our physical prowess over people. Let's be gentle with other people. Let's live life with self-control, not these major binge eating disorders with these other. With this let's just go eat and starve ourselves and fast and these back and forths where you just can't control yourself and then you're just making it all about the food and you're just so focused on food and it looks like you're just a glutton when you finally get around that. These are not things that are winning believers over. It's putting people off. Let's not do that anymore. There's too much danger. When you take pride into the fitness realm, we need to be humble.

Aaron O'Connell:

I really encourage you all to reflect on your intentions and your practices within your fitness journey. Ask yourself why am I doing this? Why am I working out? Why am I wanting to change my body? Everything should focus to God. Everything should lead to God. I do this within my clients. It's the Y exercise.

Aaron O'Connell:

Every single goal that you have should point back to God. Why do you want to get fit? I want to get fit so I can feel better about myself. Why is getting fit going to make you feel better about yourself? Oh, because then I'll be able to have more confidence. Why is getting more fit going to get you more confidence? Because then I won't be fat. Oh, that's not a good goal. It's not pointing back to God. But if you can say I want to get more fit, why? So I can be a better parent for my kids, so I can inspire them? Why, because God put them and trust it into me so I can and I want to lead them to God. Why? Because that is my purpose in life? Because God created me. Why? Because that brings glory to God. Boom, perfect. Do the Y exercise.

Aaron O'Connell:

Sit there, write all your goals and ask why you want them and have them all point back to God. And when that happens, that's when God will show up. That's when God will give you the peace that passes all understanding. That's when he'll give you the favor that you're searching for. That's when you'll probably remove those roadblocks that you can't figure out how to get over, because now you're not doing it all for yourself or self and out of pride, but instead you're doing it all for the glory of God. Or maybe he'll radically change your desires and make you okay with being where you're at and not have to get to this next level just to flex it over the next person, to make yourself feel special, because you already are chosen. You already are God's child. You already are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are made in His image, which is so beautiful. You are ready, perfect, the way that you are once you give your life to God. Let's be vessels for Him. Let's do it all for God. Let's seek balance and keep God at the center of all of our pursuits, including fitness. If this resonates with you or anything, please give me feedback on the Y2 Fitness page. Y2 Fitness at Instagram, facebook, y2 Fitness Aaron at Y2 Fitness, tell me your stories about this.

Aaron O'Connell:

Reach out to me. That's what Y2 Fitness is all about. I marry pastoral counseling with fitness coaching, because you can't, and then with that you have the spiritual, you have the mental and you have the physical. You have to have all three because you can't separate them. If you're struggling with your pride, if you're struggling with unforgiveness, if you're struggling with anxiety, depression, all these things, and you're using fitness as the cure, all nothing. It's not gonna work. That's why I balance it all out. If you need help, please reach out. Thank you all for listening. This is Aaron with Y2 Fitness. You all have a great week.

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