“Running on the treadmill is tedious and boring”; “lifting weights up and down is tiring and repetitive”; “sweating and feeling uncomfortable is not fun or exhilarating”… the list goes on and on… all the many reasons why people don’t like exercising. I feel your pain. As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, all things being equal, I’d prefer to sit on the couch and read a good book rather than exerting myself every day in the wee hours of the morning, exercising and sweating while the rest of my family sleeps comfortably in their warm beds.
Unfortunately, all things are not equal.
Ever since Adam and Chava ate from the Tree of Knowledge, thereby blending nature’s disparities, it has been our mission to discern the true essence of our environment, extricating the pure from the impure, and the holy from the unholy. In particular, as Jews—as emissaries of Hashem’s holiness in this world—we claim as such during Havdalah, as we start each week anew, pledging to ascend a little higher every day, shedding the visceral drives with which we all battle daily.
By its very definition though, isn’t exercise the very quintessence of bodily focus? If we place emphasis on the physical aspect of our being, do we not stand the risk of losing ourselves in the vanity of corporal pursuit? How, as frum Jews, can we instill the maintenance of our health with spiritual meaning and sanctity?
As is the Jewish way, permit me to answer the questions with some questions. With what do we build our Succah? With what do we walk to shul? With what do we carry home our groceries in preparation for Shabbat? Our body isn’t a mere vessel that houses our soul. No, it’s far more than that. It’s our tool, our only tool, that Hashem has graciously given us in this world with which to perform mitzvot and live a Torah existence. Of course, we need our mind to study the Torah, but we need our bodies to perform that which our mind examines. Without a healthy body, our soul is hampered, trapped inside a physical prison, unable to realize its potential; unable to serve Hashem with the love with which it was given.
As you know, we don’t eat or drink anything without first reciting a bracha. We are continually mindful of the gifts Hashem kindly bestows upon us. Moreover, by concentrating on a blessing prior to partaking of our food, we instill in that food a sacred purpose; an apple is so much more than an apple when the nutrition is provides powers the body that performs mitzvot and learns Torah.
Well, then, so too should our bodies be similarly energized. The arm that lifts that dumbbell will also lift the Arba Minim; the legs that run on the treadmill will also run to visit the sick; the back that struggles with a pull-up is the same back that must be strong enough to hold its children and grandchildren. Every repetition is a step towards a healthier and better version of you; every stride is a mitzvah that moves you closer towards Hashem. The heart that exerts itself on the elliptical will be better prepared to endure, to survive another day, to be strong and bring kedusha into this world for many days and years to come.
By maintaining our health and striving for both spiritual and physical excellence, we can imbue our body, our soul’s amazing instrument, with a divine aura that is both sacred and organic?
In our own way and with our own strengths, each of us has been blessed with awe-inspiring godly potential. I urge you, with all my heart, not to waste yours.
Chemmie Sokolic is an ACSM-certified Personal Trainer, and owner of Frum & Fit LLC. Chemmie can be reached at chemmie.sokolic_frumandfit.com. Visit www.FrumandFit.com or www.Facebook.com/FrumandFit for more information.
By Chemmie Sokolic
