Why FFF?

Posted: October 26, 2010 at 11:00 am

Good morning! The past couple of days I have felt compelled to write a post on this topic. I don’t quite know exactly what to say and kept putting it off, but now, even though I still don’t know exactly what to say, I figure I just need to write and see what comes out. Sometimes that works best for me. Hopefully that happens today, because I want to do this topic justice. Why FFF? WHY Faith Fitness Fun?

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I had a “blog” for a few months before this where I sporadically posted about my competition prep journey. I didn’t enjoy it and it wasn’t really blogging for me. Before starting Faith Fitness Fun, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to share and if I had the will to commit. I wanted this blog to be more. Which is why when I started this blog a little over 9 months ago, Faith Fitness Fun was the only name that I could settle on. Nothing else fit me or what I hoped to present here.

I could not ignore the faith aspect of my life and its affect on my wellness as a whole. For that reason, it needed a predominant space to reflect my belief in its importance to healthy living. I still hesitated to do so because I hate nothing more than those who preach to others, judge others for differing beliefs or values, and have a holier than thou attitude. Those actions do not represent faith (in general) or a Christian (in specific).

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I hope this blog never comes across as preachy. I hope people never leave feeling like I try to “convert” them or that I judge them. That would make my heart ache so greatly. I hope to share my life and my journey to finding balance, health, and fulfillment in all areas and not gloss over the fact that faith does have a role in there. So then, why include it at all if it acts more as a backdrop to my balanced living? Simply, I couldn’t not include it.

My faith has helped me to love myself more than I ever could. The knowledge that I was specially created with a purpose and carefully crafted opens my eyes to more than the physical flaws I could too easily settle on.

My faith gives me the desire to respect myself and my body. When battling binging, I had to pray the same prayer every single day. It helped me gain perspective that my body was deserving and I needed to treat it better than the starve and overload cycle I had submitted it to too often.

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My faith supplies power in the belief of my worth and allows me to pursue goals whole heartedly. From things as simple and trivial as losing baby weight to as large as the belief I can raise a child into a loving, respectable young woman, my faith sustains me. I can trust in God and simply the belief that He has a good plan for me and is on my side strengthens me to keep going and to continue striving in the pursuit of my best life. He may place me on a path and give me the passion, but I do still have to do the leg work and having faith in Him makes it bearable.

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My faith calms my soul. I have never hidden the troubles I encountered in my past. I openly share the hurts that may plague me on occasion now. If I did not have my faith, I could easily lose myself within those pains. My faith reminds me there is hope and so much more to live for. It has done so much more than just fill my life with more joy. It has literally saved my life.

That is why I include faith in this blog. Not to tell you what to believe. No, not at all. I include the faith in Faith Fitness Fun because I trust it can facilitate wellness in so many ways – mentally, emotionally, and physically. How could I leave something like that out? Likely, besides this post, it will never come at the forefront of what I share here. That is okay because it’s still always there. I hope you feel it. And now you know why.

  • Do you believe things like faith (in any number of forms) plays a role in overall healthy living?
  • If you feel comfortable sharing, how has it effected you personally?
  • Don’t forget to ASK ME ANYTHING for the November Q + A series!

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48 Comments to “Why FFF?”
  1. Angela says:

    I think faith definitely forms part of healthy living. In one of the courses I did for one of my fitness certifications, we were taught that being fit is about having a healthy mind, body, and soul. Nurturing the soul is just as important as lifting weights, running, walking etc. Also, I think that there are so many things in life that we can’t control, and shouldn’t waste time trying to control. Having faith (to me) means trusting a higher power to look after these things, and having confidence that everything will turn out the way it is supposed to. 🙂

  2. I definitely believe Faith plays a roll in Healthy Living. Just like Angela commented…Being fit is about having a healthy mind, body, and soul. I commend you for including Faith into your blog. I also struggled to find a way to do this, but I am not always sure how to fit it in. Just like you said, I don’t want to come off as judgmental or pushy. I am trying to just put it into my regular posts when I can. It just doesn’t seem to happen all the time. I must try harder! Great job on this post! I enjoyed reading it! 🙂

    • Tina says:

      Thanks! And I don’t think it needs to be explicity mentioned all the time, even just in general posts. I know I don’t. I just hope that my attitude and actions speak of it as well in how I live my life.

  3. I LOVE that you share your faith with us! You are so kind and considerate, and, I think, show a great example of what Christianity can be when practiced positively. It is such an inspiration!

    Faith definitely makes me a happier person, but sometime around anorexia/boyfriend/college I had a huge crisis of faith and am now forced to dig deep and explore my true beliefs. It is exhausting and terrifying!

    I was raised Catholic. On the plus side, it made me appreciate tradition and helped me develop values that I cherish. On the other side, the Church tends to preach guilt over love AND has done way too many things with which I disagree.

  4. it would be easy to just recite 1 corinthians 6:19 about my body not being my own, but it’s so true. i don’t see my body as something that’s mine-all-mine. it’s here as a vessel to love others the way God calls us to love. i think it’s important to take care of that vessel…more years to do His work!

  5. Becca says:

    I think faith (for me anyway) comes down to beleiving. Believing in more than yourself, no matter what “higher power” you may embrace. I think for me it plays a huge role in healthy living. 🙂

  6. Ilana says:

    I don’t comment all the time but I love your blog – and I love that you’re devoted to your faith in a way that’s healthy and productive. I’m Jewish and reading your blog I never feel like “OMG this chick is trying to shove her faith down my throat.” It’s your faith, it’s part of who you are, and it’s beautiful that you’re proud to share it.

    I don’t necessarily believe that faith is an inherent part to healthy living, but it can be one of many factors that might motivate a person towards living better, in more than one way. For me, my boyfriend is a lot more religiously observant than I am and sometimes it can be conflicting – but recently we’ve been discussing the Torah and parts of it that relate to health and nutrition, which has been a really fun way for us to combine some of our interests and connect on another level…and I hope that some of what we’re talking about and learning together will actually rub off on how he lives his life (and for me, reading text with him is so illuminating and educational … love it).

    Lovely post!!

    • Tina says:

      I love how both of you are learning from each other and agree with what you said that it opens up ways to living better in general. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I loved hearing them. 🙂

  7. I like the way you share your faith. I can tell you, for me, you do not seem preachy. I feel like my faith is very private. I do believe it is part of a healthy lifestyle. I could not agree with Caitlin more…I am Catholic too and have the same issues. I feel that spirituality is a huge part of my life more than religion, if that makes sense. I always feel like I will be judged for the way I think about it, so I do keep it very private. I appreciate different ways of practicing faith!

    • Tina says:

      I do not like religion. Religion actually drives me crazy. To me it is so not about the rules and the guidelines. It’s about love, mercy, hope, etc. So I definitely get where you’re coming from.

      • Thank you for saying that Tina. I always get nervous when others talk about faith…like they will judge me if I say anything. I guess it is better to be honest and you asked in a nice way that didn’t make me feel like I was going to be looked down upon. Thank you for that!

  8. Nic says:

    I read Faith Fitness Fun because you come across as supportive, happy, insightful and funny… never have I thought of you as preachy! Thanks for being such a bright spot!

  9. Great post! My faith has also helped me reach a place of greater peace and wellness, and I enjoy reading about how it has helped others in a similar way.

  10. Wow, you’ve had the blog for only 9 months? Amazing!

    My parents do a mixture of eastern religious (using the term loosely since eastern practices are more philosophical than deity-oriented) practices. I don’t mind sharing the fact that I relatively non-religious, but I do think rituals and common beliefs are necessary to a functioning society. =)

    Moreso than faith keeping me going, I think a faith in life and its possibilities, however they come about (or whomever created them), is a main motivation.

    • Tina says:

      Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I always love hearing others’ views on things like this, no matter difference of specific beliefs. 🙂

  11. One thing I like about my sport is the setting goals part. And when I set goals I share it to the world because it’s a statement of faith. That by the grace of God, I will be able to reach all the goals I set for myself =)

    Great post! =)

  12. I think it is very admirable how you have your faith in your life, and commit to it without preaching to others. I have never ever felt that coming here. I must admit I am not a religious person at all. I am more of a spiritual person, and I have faith in my own little way, I would like to hope there is a being out there higher and more powerful than any of us are, looking over us giving us the strength to be good and do great things…the faith in myself and in other people has been something that has helped me a long the way.

  13. I absolutely believe faith is important, and plays a HUGE role in overall health. I have always approached SPA in this manner… “body, mind, spirit” was my tagline for years… I promote spa treatments for well being – including meditation in many forms and many other ‘modalities’.

    I love this post, thank you!

  14. Tina I like that you show your faith in your posts — and although I am a Christian (so maybe I don’t notice it as much) — I don’t think you come off as preachy at all — you tell your story and how things affect you.

    I know that I am able to do tremendous things (from running a marathon to cooking a meal to one day maybe giving birth, etc) — and that is all because of God — because he gave me life! I believe human beings are amazing beings that were created by God. It makes me want to be the best person I can be!

  15. You are so beautiful Tina. What you share and how you open your heart and mind to the blog world inspires me to grow deeper into who I am supposed to be. And that involves faith. No matter the type, the source, the reason, the religion, the label…faith in what we believe in, faith that we will know, faith that we are bigger than anything we could have imagined!

    So thank you for FFF. I’m here to stay darlin!

  16. Courtney F says:

    Great post! You are not “preachy” at all, but genuinely true to yourself! Faith and God in my case have helped me overcome so many obstacles in my life and is a reason why I treat my body as well as I can. (“as a temple”)
    Keep doing and blogging about Faith, Fitness, and Fun. This is your blog and you should write about whatever makes you happy.

  17. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tina Reale, Tina Reale. Tina Reale said: Why FFF?: Good morning! The past couple of days I have felt compelled to write a post on this topic. I don’t quite… http://bit.ly/cAPtw5 […]

  18. My faith has helped me be happy with myself and has truly helped find inner peace. 🙂 Great post, Tina.

  19. Jess says:

    I LOVE that your faith comes through your posts – in more ways than just spiritual faith, too. You are so passionate, so caring, so loving as a person and that totally comes through in your writing. I really do love that and it’s a main reason for me coming back to your blog time and time again. 🙂

  20. Sami says:

    Faith IS our reason for living….I mean, nothing else REALLY matters THAT much. Fueling our bodies means honoring our temples, so it’s awesome that FAITH comes FIRST in your life, and you’re not afraid to let ANYONE and EVERYONE know 😀

  21. The fact that you talk about or include faith into your blog is a reason that drew me to it originally. I am also Catholic but feel similar to the others. But I am thankful for my faith and glad I have it.

    • Julie says:

      I agree with Bree that this was one of the original reasons I was drawn to your blog. I love to follow the blogs of any woman who is trying to uplift her life and the lives of others in positive ways, but I love seeing women share their faith.

  22. First off, I love your blog and have never thought it to be preachy. : )

    I think faith def. plays a role in being healthy and a better person. I also think its very important and no matter what you believe in, you must have faith in a higher power. I’ve noticed that the stronger I get in my faith, the better my workouts, sleep, meals and mental clarity are. I think it brings a sense of calm and peace which reflects into your daily activites.

  23. I think the way you share your faith through this blog is so inspiring. I think when your faith is so much a part of who you are, you don’t have to blatantly talk about it all the time because it shines through in everything you do. Even though I’ve only been reading your blog for a little while, I can already see that. I pray that for my own blog as well – that people would see Christ in me just by reading about my life.

    And I so respect your ability to firmly believe what you do, but also not view other differently because they don’t. I think that is a unique gift that not everyone has.

  24. What a great post! I think having faith is so important. It is definitely tied into having a healthy lifestyle.
    Thanks for sharing.

  25. I think faith can play a role in healthy living overall. I don’t think it’s necessary though. I guess it just depends on the person. Sadly enough, distancing myself from my faith helped me on my own journey.

  26. Ela says:

    I am constantly in admiration of how you manage not to be preachy at all, and yet how thoroughly you integrate the ‘faith’ element of your life into what you talk about in your blog.

    Sincere, honest feedback at you, sister – please don’t give it a moment’s further worry – it shines forth as something important to you that you share but don’t push.

    To me, some sort of spiritual practice or awareness is integral to life, but I don’t have a ‘conventional’ faith or religious practice. Which makes it harder, because I have to do it by myself and often slip up. It’s all about self love and love of others.

    love
    Ela

  27. Loriana says:

    Thanks as always for your honesty! I too believe faith is a crucial part of wellness and am in the process (aren’t we always..) of trying to connect more with that part of myself in order to facilitate a more centered (and grace filled) journey to better health!

  28. Camille says:

    You know, I’m not a religious person. I have faith in lots of things, just none of them are religious. However, I think faith and religion can definitely play an important part in healthy living IF it is used appropriately. That is, people can’t expect that faith alone will create a positive lifestyle, they need to take the necessary steps to do this for themselves. I hope that made sense? I’m trying to sidestep offending anyone…

    • Tina says:

      I completely get what you are saying. Just like people can’t say “God will provide a new job for me” and then not do anything to search for one or apply elsewhere kind of thing. But applied to health and fitness.

  29. […] and hummus – here I come. Next, thank you for all the thoughtful comments on this morning’s post relating to faith. I didn’t intend the post to come across as me questioning sharing my faith or how I do so in any […]

  30. Abby says:

    I completely agree, Tina! Thanks for posting this. My faith is the biggest part of my life, but I never, ever want my readers to feel judged. On the other end, I know some of my readers who are Christian don’t think I write enough about my faith…like it makes me less of a Christian or something. But I just write. God gives us our passions and interests and we need to pursue them–that glorifies Him!! And planting seeds is very different than shoving it down peoples’ throats.
    I think you do a great job!

    • Tina says:

      Thanks, Abby! You do a fantastic job as well. Like you said, I think its important to use the places God puts us and live a life reflecting His love.

  31. Mandy says:

    Well you know our household is not Christian but I do we are very spiritual and it plays a big part in our lives. I continue to grow my spiritual side daily, and hope that I can instill in my daughter a solid foundation for whatever she wants to believe in, as long as it is something she can always rely on no matter what 🙂 And you already know that I appreciate you and your strong ties to your faith. It’s one of my favorite qualities about you, my friend! 🙂

  32. Lee says:

    I’ve never felt like you come off as preachy at all.

  33. I must admit, when I first clicked onto your blog, I was hesitant to keep coming back … You see, I’m not too big on faith (at least not of the organized religion variety).

    But it’s precisely because your blog isn’t preachy that I love it. I can see how you’re integrating all the various aspects of healthy living … and yes, I believe faith is probably a part of that. Perhaps that’s why I keep struggling — because I seem to have lost mine.

    Oh, I believe in clean living … saying no to drugs, adultery, murder, animal abuse … I’m just not sure where the Big Guy fits in the picture … or even if there is a Big Guy. (Why would he let so many people suffer in so many ways?)

    Anyway, that’s probably a little too heavy for a blog comment, so I’ll stop rambling now.

    Keep blogging exactly the way you have been. You’re probably helping more people than you know.

  34. Kristy says:

    I was actually thinking about this the other day 🙂

  35. Annie Crow says:

    Thanks, Tina. I was going to pick out one or two things from this post that I especially liked but then I realized there were too many! I have never found you preachy (and I have a keen ear for that sort of thing!), but have wondered about the “faith” part of your blog name – I just figured I hadn’t read enough older posts to get to an explanation. This is beautifully articulated and very helpful.

  36. Tina, I have never found your posts to be preachy, despite the fact that faith is a big part of your life. I have seen your references to your faith, and I have always appreciated your ability to incorporate your faith into your writing in the subtle way one can do when they know who they are.

    I have found that once I began focusing on the fact that my body is a gift (created by God, if you will) it became easier to feel responsibility to take care of it. Kind of like when you borrow someone’s sweater, you try to take better care of it then when it is something of your own. I have found that treating my body with this reverence makes it a joy to feed it healthy foods, and become strong and fit.

    In fact, I recently felt called to create a new facebook page, trying to build a community of members who want to forge faith and fitness in creating healthy and strong bodies. http://on.fb.me/forgefaithandfitness

    Once again, thanks for sharing!

    Melinda

  37. Lisa says:

    I’ll be honest…I’ve avoided your blog for a long time because of the “Faith.” I’m not Christian. I was raised Catholic and had a really negative experience with religion. These days I’m something else, mixed in with some agnostic tendencies. I get really turned off by people pushing their religion on others…

    I decided to get over my own personal stereotypes about that and read what you have to say and I see a lot of things in your posts that I can relate to, depression and stuff. I’ll keep reading. 🙂

    • Tina says:

      Thanks! I hope to never ever be “preachy” here. And while my faith is a big part of who I am, I like to think it just shows up in how I live and the things I talk about without needing super specific “faith” posts and writing. If that makes sense? I also always keep it relative to me personally, because I completely recognize that not every person out there holds the same beliefs and its not my place to force them on others. I’m glad you came here and hope to continue hearing from you! 🙂

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