How are you with exercise? Addicted to it? Consider it a necessary evil? Detest it?

I have always thought that exercise should just become part of our day and movement. Nothing fancy. God made us to move and so we should.

Probably I have felt that way because, I hate to run and most exercise requires some type of fast, running movement. The only time that I like to run is if I am running after a tennis ball.

There was a delightful gal with whom I played tennis. She just had the best sayings while we played. Her best comment if we were down by a couple of points: just get one more point than before. Her thinking- don’t overthink this, don’t worry about the end game, just concentrate on what we are doing now. I can’t say that we won every time but thinking in that way certainly reduced any anxiety.

Sadly, I am in the stage of life that I need just a little more oomph in my daily exercise. I have joined the local women’s fitness group. It is so convenient- right around the corner from our home. I like the slogan- “Strong is the new skinny”. I attend the strength and tone class so that I can strengthen my osteo-poor bones.

The woman who runs the place is very encouraging and over the new year, she sent out an exercise program one can do at home: HIIT- High Intensity Interval Training. Apparently it is the “latest” thing. Or at least, the latest for me. The idea is that you push yourself hard for a short duration (20 seconds to a couple minutes) before slowing down to an equal or slightly longer recovery period.

Within the HIIT mode, is a regime called Tabata. Named for Japanese research scientist Dr. Izumi Tabata and his team from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports at Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, it is a higher intensity version of HIIT- 20 seconds of intense movement followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated eight times. The entire routine can be built around bodyweight exercises so no special equipment is needed.

In the plan, there are 4 sections of these eight types of tabatas. I have started doing these at home. At first I was lucky to complete one section. Each time I have worked on it, I try and do one more than before.

And it has worked. I have been able to complete the entire workout sheet. There were times when I wanted to quit mid-way but I said to myself, just do one more. That one more, turned into another one more and before I knew it, the eight times were completed. In addition to telling myself to do one more, I also tried to just be present in the experience. I just concentrated on that one more and tried not think about getting to the end or what I was going to do afterwards- shower, have lunch, etc.

It was all about being present, just one more that helped me.

I have really had to be intentional about being present. As I have shared in the past- I am a planner. I like to see the big picture, the final result and work on all the details in between. I am the type of person, who thinks more in large swaths of connection and details. It becomes a question of controlling all the aspects of a situation.

In thinking- one more than before, I have realized that I am not anxious about the outcome because I am not concerning myself with the outcome at that point in time. Consequently, what is experienced doesn’t have to be perfect. Just one more, one more word, one more repetition, one more step- whatever the one more is and before I know it, it is completed.

What about you? Do you get anxious with the big picture? Wonder about the ending and therefore never begin? What if you just started- one thing. And then do one more than before?

I think that we were created in this design- to be present with what we are doing and to take one thing at a time. In order to do that, we must remember. Remember what we have done (good or bad) and apply that knowledge to what we are currently doing.

I think that is why Jesus reminded us to not be anxious. Don’t worry about all the big and little things. He reminds us that God has been faithful in the past and will continue to be. We just need to remember our past and to concentrate on one thing at a time in our present. Not only is it healthier for our well-being, it also moves us closer to our outcome.