Your Body Is a Temple: Strength, Stamina, and Stewardship

Three months ago, I went in for my yearly blood work.

Like many people, I’ve always considered myself a healthy and athletic person. Sports and movement have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Over the years that’s looked like lacrosse, football, baseball, surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, mountain biking, and more recently golf.

Movement has always been part of my identity.

So when my doctor told me my cholesterol had climbed to 275, I was surprised. She suggested medication right away.

Instead, I asked for three months.

Three months to see what I could do through discipline, nutrition, and exercise.

That moment forced me to take a closer look at something I had slowly drifted away from. I still felt healthy, but I had let a few habits slide. Nothing dramatic. Just enough that the numbers were beginning to show it.

So I decided to dial things back in.

Getting Back on Track

To start the process, I worked with a personal trainer for six sessions.

The goal wasn’t long-term coaching. It was simply to get my form dialed back in and make sure I was moving safely and efficiently again.

Those sessions were incredibly helpful. They reminded me how important good mechanics are when lifting.

Once I felt confident again, I started building my own routine around exercises that give the biggest return for the effort.

I’m not interested in spending hours in the gym.

I go for about an hour, focus on full-body movements, and get the work done.

My Current Training Splits

I rotate between two workout days.

Both are built around compound movements that train the entire body.

Day One

Zercher Squats – 135 pounds

Barbell Rows – 135 pounds

Back Extensions

Dumbbell Curls – 35 pounds

Skull Crushers (EZ bar)

Dumbbell Shrugs – 50 pounds

Pull-Ups

Dips

Press Downs

Most sets are in the 10–12 rep range, usually three sets.

The goal is strength that is repeatable and usable in real life.

Not just lifting something heavy once, but being able to perform with strength over and over again.

Zercher squats in particular have become one of my favorite exercises. They are incredibly demanding and engage almost the entire body — legs, core, back, shoulders.

They are exhausting in the best possible way.

Day Two

Weighted Sit-Ups

Dumbbell Flyes

Leg Press

Calf Raises

Deadlifts or Romanian Deadlifts – around 225 pounds (just did 345 a few days ago!)

Flat Dumbbell Press – 60 pound dumbbells

On lighter days I’ll also add some cardio afterward, usually the StairMaster or a treadmill run.

On harder lifting days, the workout itself is enough.

Strength vs Capability

While sitting in the sauna after a workout recently, a thought came to me.

Weight training builds strength.

Cardio builds capability.

Strength means you can lift something heavy.

Capability means you can keep going.

Real life requires both.

You might be able to lift something impressive once, but what happens when the job requires stamina? When you need to carry something, move something, help someone, or work for hours?

Strength without endurance isn’t enough.

Capability without strength isn’t enough either.

The goal is both.

That’s the kind of body I want to build.

A body that is capable.

The Unexpected Addition: Sauna

Another habit I’ve added recently is sauna time.

At the end of many workouts I’ll spend about twenty minutes in the sauna.

Originally I started doing it for the physical recovery benefits, but I’ve discovered something else.

It has become a place to think.

The heat forces you to slow down, breathe, and reflect. It has a calming effect that carries over into the rest of the day.

I leave feeling relaxed, clear-headed, and mentally reset.

Nutrition and Small Adjustments

Exercise was only part of the equation.

I also began adjusting my eating habits.

More fiber.

More whole foods.

More home-cooked meals.

A lot of simple soups and pressure-cooked meals with vegetables, lentils, broth, and protein.

My kids actually love them more than restaurant food, which has been an unexpected win.

Small adjustments like these have added up quickly.

My clothes are fitting better.

I’ve lost weight.

I feel stronger.

But more importantly, I feel more capable.

The Temple Principle

Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit… therefore honor God with your bodies.”

For a long time I thought of that verse in mostly spiritual terms.

Recently I’ve begun thinking about it in a much more practical way.

If our bodies truly are temples, then caring for them is a form of stewardship.

Not vanity.

Stewardship.

Our bodies allow us to serve others, raise families, build communities, and live out the calling placed on our lives.

Strength allows us to lift others. Stamina allows us to keep serving. Stewardship of the body allows us to live out the life God has given us.

Looking Ahead

In a few weeks I’ll go back for another blood test and see what the numbers say.

But regardless of what the results show, this process has already reminded me of something important.

I’m also in a different stage of life now.

I’m an older father.

I didn’t start my family until my mid-30s, and today at 45 I have a six-month-old baby boy along with my two daughters. That reality changes how I think about health.

I’m not just thinking about the next year.

I’m thinking about the next forty.

I want to be strong and healthy well into my 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond. I want to be able to run around with my kids, hike with them, ride bikes with them, and someday hopefully hold my grandchildren—and maybe even great-grandchildren.

That means the choices I make today matter.

How I eat.

How I move.

How I take care of the body God gave me.

But there’s another piece to it as well.

Our children watch how we live.

They notice whether we take care of ourselves or neglect ourselves. They see whether we approach life with discipline, balance, and gratitude—or with excuses and shortcuts.

The goal isn’t perfection.

The goal is modeling a life that is strong, balanced, and grounded in faith.