Note that there are three requirements here: Love of God, love of neighbor and love of self. That last love is often forgotten, but we must love and care for our selves-- body and soul. We are created in God‘s image, and we are masterpieces of God‘s creation. Our human person, body and soul, is a gift from God-- it is of utmost importance to care for both. We cannot love ourselves if we neglect our bodily and spiritual needs. It's tough to love God and our neighbor if we don't love ourselves. I'm not talking about a self-centered, "Me! Me! Me!" approach here but rather cultivating your self-worth and dignity as a child of God.
My apostolate (or lay "ministry") is to spread devotion to the Rosary as well as to motivate others to exercise regularly. The Rosary is a relatively simple prayer, but its blessings and benefits are enormous. If you simply pray the Rosary on a regular basis, the Blessed Mother will see to it that you improve your spiritual life in other ways. As St. Louis de Montfort powerfully states in his book The Secret of the Rosary,
"If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that in spite of the gravity of your sins you shall receive a never fading crown of glory. For even if you are now on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in Hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil, sooner or later you will be converted. Heaven will amend your life and save your soul if you say the Rosary devoutly every day of your life."
If the Rosary helps to "save your soul," then regular exercise helps to save your body. Taking time to exercise is not selfish, unless it is taken to an extreme or becomes an obsession. Our bodies were created to move. Neglect of the body through inactivity can lead to disease, low energy, and a decreased sense of self-worth. Many studies have shown that those who exercise have a better outlook on life and an increased self-esteem. Exercise helps you love yourself so that you are better able to love God and your neighbor. Through regular exercise and Rosary prayer, you can become a better vessel to do your part in spreading the Good News.
My book, The Rosary Workout, outlines a program to integrate Rosary prayer and exercise and helps you form a lifelong habit of both. You can buy the softcover version on Amazon or the ebook version on my website.
I am honored that Catholic.net has invited me to be a regular contributor to their Fitness channel. I just published my first article, A Sensible Solution for Regular Exercise.
Since I have a bit of free reign in choosing topics for articles, I would love to hear any thoughts and suggestions you might have. Please leave a comment on this post or email me at peggy [at] rosaryworkout [dot] com (My email address is written this way to reduce spam emails.)
Related links:
I found a lot of wisdom and insight from a Catholic perspective of fitness in Robert Feeney's book, The Catholic Ideal: Exericise and Sports
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