The body was created for a particular purpose. As the form of a process follows the function of a process, there is a reason our bodies are able to improve their efficiency. This allows us to do such things as hold on to, lose, or gain muscle. Such a process is not random; it is purposeful.
We have eyes so that we can see, and our eyes are able to adapt to different settings based opon the surrounding conditions. For example, the pupils dilate when the room is dark. So it is with muscles; they are able to adapt to different stresses placed upon them. Work is a part of the creation design as Adam and Eve were given dominion over the Earth, and instructed to tend and to keep the Garden (Genesis 1:26-28, and Genesis 2:15). Undoubtedly, these things would have required (and still do require) a finely-tuned musculoskeletal system. Not only that, but an efficient cardiopulmonary system, an intricate nervous system, and so on. Our bodies may not last forever in this present state, but they are still ours to take care of.
“IN THE MIDST OF OUR OWN COMPLEX NATURE, WE MUST STILL PRESS ON TO UNDERSTAND WHY WE OUGHT TO EXERCISE, AND WHY WE OUGHT TO DO ANYTHING AT ALL FOR THAT MATTER.”
In the realm of rehab and training, the SAID Principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands) expresses how the body will adapt to specific demands, as long as progressive overload is taking place. This means that if the demands on your body are gradually increased, your body will respond appropriately. Accordingly, through the process of exercise, you are able to optimize your health, which carries over into all aspects of life. Before you think that I am exaggerating, just consider this: can you think more clearly when you are in pain? The body was meant to move; such is the premise of the why behind exercise.
Certainly, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. A human being made in the image of God (Imago Dei) is greater than the sum of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems. In essence, we are ununderstandable, even to ourselves. In the midst of our own complex nature, we must still press on to understand why we ought to exercise, and why we ought to do anything at all for that matter.
So, in order for us to understand why exercise is important for our bodies, we must recognize the grand design that was manifested in the beginning. There has to be a basis for all that we think, believe, and act on. We don’t exercise just because. Rather, we ought to exercise because the design of our bodies express their own capabilities. Our overall health is optimized when our physical wellbeing is optimized through the process of exercise. Our bodies are temples (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and so we must aspire to treat them as such. Therefore, we should have purpose when we exercise; and we cannot just stop there. This should also translate to a place where we have purpose in all other areas of our lives too. There is always a motive, even when it may not be floating on the surface. To understand OUR why, we must understand THE why.
