Do you remember as a child all the running and jumping and playing that you did? How many of you ever woke up on Christmas morning to find a shiny new bicycle waiting for you and you set out immediately for a test ride? Do you remember walking over to your friend’s house to play? I can see a vivid picture in my mind of the neighborhood I lived in as a little girl. One of my best friends lived at the top of a steep hill near my house and I would think nothing of running up that hill to find her each day. We sledded down that hill in the winter, in the daylight and in the moonlight— it was both exhilarating and scary, but we loved it!
And what about those active teenage years? Did you go to dance classes or the Saturday night dance? Did you cheer at the football games as a cheerleader or as a fan in the stands jumping up and down with excitement? Did you do a sport or just walk everywhere on campus when you were in college? As we live our lives, there are many times of fun activity to remember!
Let your mind wander back to a happy active memory that you have and ponder it for awhile. God made our bodies to move! He created us to be active! And our happy memories of movement can motivate us even today. We need to trust God to help us create new active memories with our loved ones! This Christmas season, be intentional about planning active things to do together as you visit with family over the holidays. Encourage the whole group to bundle up and go for a walk in the afternoon after that Christmas dinner! Go sledding if you live in the north, or swimming if you live in the south. Do what you enjoy doing! The main thing is to “just do it”! Determine that you will be an active person and let those active memories from your childhood or teenage years spill over to today!
Jeannie Blocher
www.bodyandsoul.org
Jeannie Blocher produced and choreographed the two First Place Exercise DVD’s. The Body and Soul Ministry is 25 years old and is based in Germantown, Maryland. Their ministry spans 19 states and 15 foreign countries. They have trained and equipped hundreds of women to serve in their local churches, offering fitness classes using contemporary Christian music, serving people of all ages and fitness levels.