“Oh no, I forgot to turn on my workout on my watch!” my friends say when we move together.
“Guess it doesn’t count then,” I always joke. They know how much I talk about how:
1. Calorie counting is an irrelevant measure of fitness
2. Your body always keeps the score
3. To count what counts
She rolls her eyes and laughs while responding, “Yes but I was on a streak! And now my friends are beating me! They do swimming for an hour every morning and still get way more steps than I do during the day.”
It’s so satisfying to see those high numbers validate your efforts. On top of that, bringing in a little friendly competition really ups the game!
But then again, calorie counting is like building on the wrong foundation. We know that “bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8), so we need to align our fitness with the body God has already given us instead of what we think we need to lose.
Grab a journal, and let’s start asking some foundational questions:
1. Choose a Sustainable Goal
Put aside weight loss and ask yourself, “I move my body because…” and continue this trail of questioning on paper until you get to the foundation of your fitness.
If you want to focus on godly training, make sure to invite the Lord in on this journaling exercise and He will reveal to you deeper, eternally sustainable, joy-filled reasons to move. He made you, after all, and knows you best.
Once you come up with an identity-based answer, you can apply it to your specific season of life and body stage, so it makes sense not only for your current level of fitness, but your circumstances.
2. Ask Yourself How You Feel
Calorie tracking is all about an external measurement of success and tends to separate us from ourselves and our natural intuitive abilities. Instead of turning on the calorie tracker, tune in.
Ask yourself “how does this work out make me feel?” Journal your response afterward. If this workout isn’t in line with your relatable goals or doesn’t make you feel better in your body, set it aside and try something else. That “something else” can either be a completely different mode of exercise, like switching from a HIIT class to hiking or simply choosing the low-impact moves to protect your joints.
As you practice asking yourself this question after your movement session, begin incorporating more pauses before, during, and after the session to check in with how you are feeling and adapt accordingly. This post on 8 Body Cues for Rest and Movement can help you identify your signals when starting out this practice.
3. Count What Counts
Calorie counting is popular because it is quantifiable. But don’t limit yourself to calories burned to determine your effectiveness. Open up the definition of fitness as long, high, deep, and wide as the love of Christ (Eph 3:18).
Get creative with your goals and how you track them. If your goal is to feel better in your body, like for your back not to be an aching distraction, then a pain-free back as a result of body movement is absolutely a fitness success. This doesn’t mean you can’t use numbers. Everything is permissible for us, after all, but of course, not everything is beneficial (1 Corin 10:23).
Make sure you are grounded in Step 2 of knowing and honoring your body’s signals before beginning to track numbers like steps, distance, time, etc. Know what it feels like to push yourself when you need to, and stop when it hurts. Then you won’t be in danger of injury or accomplishing an external goal not fit for you.
Once you begin practicing these steps, you won’t have a need to count calories for fitness to measure your success. You can bring your body, give God thanks for the ability to move, and make it your time of worship.
Have you found freedom with calorie counting? If not, what is holding you back?
Kasey Shuler is the author of Move for Joy and several Bible studies, including The Lord’s Prayer: A 12-Week Journal, Rest and Rise, and Love Beyond Looks. Working with clients as an ACSM personal trainer and Revelation Wellness fitness instructor, Kasey’s mission is to help go-getters walk by faith with prayer, Scripture, and joyful movement. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Athens, Georgia, and would love to connect with you at kaseybshuler.com, joyfulhealth.co, or on Instagram @kaseybshuler.
Start 2022 with better habits & a cleaner heart!
For 21 Days we’ll practice inside-out wellness. You’ll learn more than how to just train hard and eat clean because what’s in your heart is more important than what’s on your plate.
This is a challenge to get better; to have your heart searched and ministered to by the One who knows you best and loves you most.
