Week 1 Recap: Fitness Bible Study Challenge

Today we are going over the first 7 days of our Fitness Bible Study Challenge! This 21-Day Fitness Bible Study Challenge answers the questions of what God says about fitness, and how to incorporate God into my fitness, and because it’s November, we are leaning into the spirit of gratitude and learning to be grateful, not hateful of our bodies

This challenge will help you build a foundation of fitness based on the Word of God and help you create results with power, peace, and grace.

If you haven’t signed up, please join over 2300 women who have at https://www.kimdolanleto.com/21daychallenge

Let’s dive in.

Day 1

Pray to seek God first in your health and wholeness and surrender your fitness goals to Him.

Doing fitness in your strength and willpower can be frustrating and feel like a roller coaster of starting and stopping and gaining and losing. Spend time in prayer seeking a lasting motivation for your fitness and ask God to guide you and fill with a fresh hope as you surrender your health and wholeness to Him.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

– Matthew 6:33 NKJV

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

– Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

Day 2

Pray before meals and accept God’s invitation to eat with you.

Slow down, turn off phones and screens, and come before the Lord with a grateful heart for the food before you. Inviting God to your table and honoring him with prayer is how you eat from a place of gratitude rather than busyness. In our fast-paced world, we eat on autopilot and this leaves us hungry and unsatisfied. Practice pausing before meals and pray. Accept His invitation to eat with you and you will be filled with more than the satisfaction of a good meal. 

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

– Revelation 3:20 NIV

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.”

– Psalm 100:4-5

Day 3

Pray for God to help you choose the foods He made for your body.

The ease of man-made processed food costs us our health, and energy, and what we aren’t paying for now, we will be paying for later in disease. Ask God to help you crave the foods He made for your body. These are the foods you will find along the perimeter of the grocery store—meat, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seeds, and nuts. God did not create dieting; man did and that is why it does not work. Dieting is legalistic and forms an unhealthy relationship with food, so refrain from perfectionism and choose balance and grace. 

“And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.”

– Genesis 1:29 NKJV

“Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.”

– Genesis 9:3 NKJV

Day 4

Pray for God to reveal any negative thoughts or doubts that are blocking your ability to get healthy.

Your words and thoughts are creating your life, so make sure they are building you up and not tearing you down. Your mind is the control tower of your life, and you cannot rise above your thoughts. Listen to the thoughts you think and the words you speak about yourself. Are they speaking God’s truth? If not, write down the phrases you find yourself saying and replace them with who God says you are.

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

– Proverbs 23:7 NKJV

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

– Romans 12:2 NKJV

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Day 5

Pray for God to guide you to the workout or movement that He created you to do.

Remember when you were a kid and you loved to ride your bike, swim, or dance? Working out does not have to be a one-size-fits- all trip to the gym doing weight training and cardio. Ask God to reinvigorate the movement that once brought you joy or help you find a new one. Sign up for a dance class, join a hiking club, and put it on your schedule. Treat it like a doctor’s appointment. Moving daily is more than just exercise, it equates to better sleep, lower stress, less joint pain, weight loss, lower blood pressure, and a sharper mind.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”

– Psalm 32:8 NIV

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

–James 1:5 NKJV

The Physical Activity Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. are considered the flagship resource for the health professionals. According to them: For substantial health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Preferably, aerobic activity should be spread throughout the week. Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity and that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these activities provide additional health benefits.

Day 6

Pray for God to help you find a friend to be accountable with. 

We were not created to do life alone. Perhaps your fitness journey has felt lonely and if you had an accountability partner to pray with and text to encourage you, you would not have grown

weary and quit in the past. Ask God to point out who needs your help, reach out to them, and begin to work out together, exchange recipes, and hold each other accountable.

“As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”

– Proverbs 27:17 NKJV

“Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.”

– Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NKJV

Accountability works! Grab a friend, write down your goals, and be accountable to each other to raises your chances of fitness success 70%! Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California, conducted a study that showed 70 percent of the participants who had written down goals and sent weekly updates to a friend either completed their objectives or were more than halfway there by the time the study ended), compared to 35 percent of those who kept their goals to themselves without writing them down.

Day 7

Pray to see God’s perfection in your reflection.

A fitness journey without God can feel like an overwhelming, “not good enough” project. But with Him as the centerpiece, you can enjoy peace about how He created you. Write scriptures out and put them on your mirror and in your journal, and begin to see yourself through God’s eyes, rather than the world’s.

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.”

– Psalm 139:14 NKJV

“But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.”

– Isaiah 64:8 NKJV

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

– Genesis 1:27 NKJV

Prayer

Dear God,

Cause the woman who is listening to this to act! Help her sign up to take this challenge, help her know you, and grow deeper and more secure in her faith. Protect her health. Show her that you care about her health and wholeness and you want her to walk it out with you daily.

Lord, lead me to lead others. Help me serve these women with excellence. Help us all be examples of you in this world. Put the woman who needs to do this with us on our hearts and encourage us to reach out to her today!

God, we are so grateful for your Word, help us know how it applies to our fitness and live by it!

Father, lastly, please help the woman who is thinking I’ll start taking care of myself in January to understand that she needs to take care of herself now. Empower us to live in your Holy Spirit’s power and authority instead of the weakness of appetite. Lord, in you, we can find balance and grace.

We are so grateful for our bodies. Today marks a new day of stewarding them well for your glory,

In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Download your 21-day Fitness Bible Challenge guide here: https://www.kimdolanleto.com/21daychallenge

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I can’t wait to hear about how this is helping you know Jesus, learn what the Bible says about fitness, and get results. 

Remember you are Strong. Confident. His.