Getting Fit for God

18 Jan, 2012 By: Angelique Flores

It’s a been a while since I interviewed Jimmy Peña, the man behind Prayfit and Lionsgate’s recently released DVD Prayfit: 33-Day Total Body Challenge. And several things he said stayed with me.

As a Catholic and as someone who works out regularly, I’ve wondered if working out to try to achieve a certain size could be sinful, possibly feeding into vanity or pride.

My boyfriend can tell you how often I’ve said, “I need to go to the gym and work off that mound of chili cheese fries I just ate,” in order to keep my body healthy. But I rarely say, “I need to go to church and say a bunch of Our Fathers to work off the awful way I treated my loved one today,” in order to keep my soul in good shape.

And so I’ve wondered about putting the body before the soul and how to reverse that. But Jimmy said there’s a direct connection between the body and the soul. He said, “It’s not about getting bigger biceps.” Jimmy stressed that taking care of our bodies isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it can be a way we praise, honor and thank God for the bodies, health and life he has given us.

I like that idea.

So I think I’ll skip that donut in the parish center after Mass on Sundays and instead pop in my Prayfit DVD for a solid 33-minute inspiring workout. I’ve already tried it, and it was a good workout for my both my body and my soul, with the addition of “Jimmy’s Prayfit Minutes” and his inspiring words about God throughout.

Getting Fit for God

About the Author: Angelique Flores