Exercise

MORE About: An Amazing Thing Happens When You Fake Working Out! You Get Remarkably Buff!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Be a fake with me, friend! Why not? (It’s long-term results we care about!)

man in black tank top wearing white hard hat

Last time, I clearly explained WHY you need to fake working out at the gym.

To summarize THAT excellent article, remember, the main goal is NOT to do a hard workout, but to COME BACK to the gym tomorrow!

And if it takes faking a workout to do this, well, that’s just the way life rolls!

People in 60 countries have read my writing, so be authentic by joining in with what everyone else is doing!

In a future article, I’ll outline 4 “Helpful” tips for HOW exactly to fake your workout!

Wait – I see you asking, “Who would read that stuff?” Well, a lot of others at the gym and who stay home from the gym seem to need this kind of help, I’m guessing, given how many others:

  1. Stay home from the gym when they could be getting stronger! Or,
  2. Lift WAY too much at the gym.

Hey, we’re all (a bit!) messed up! We might as well admit it! Or at least use our neuroses to our advantage, and at least get stronger at the gym!

“But why would we do all the work of pretending to fake a workout?” you ask. Great question! Well, our other options are to:

  1. Not to feel like you have to prove yourself to others,
  2. Not to compare yourself to others, or
  3. Not to care quite so much what others think of you.

But WOW! No Thanks! In my humble experience, those approaches are WAY too expensive in therapy costs and WAY too time-consuming in terms of hours spent in a counselling office!

For those of you annoyingly “healed” ones, here’s a few other quotes to keep you going.

The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that.

The Message

and

Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God . . .

The Message

Sometimes, though, you have to ask, “Why be fixed later, when you can cobble together an approach that works for you to scrape through life now?” At least, that is what I always say! And, “We all simply are who we are!” as all of us know, already!

And so, as we conclude today’s article, Julie Meyer sings, “You made it so simple, God, anyone can do this,” which I am listening to as I write, and I include here below – Oh! And this reminds me!

I almost forgot to mention that healing always comes that way, too, friend, as we make time for the Holy Spirit to do His beautiful work of feeding our souls, which are incessantly hungry for affirmation. We could receive our affirmation from God instead of from people (I.e., He already loves you!).

If remembering God loves us anyway helps us care less about looking like a COMPLETE LOSER (no offence), when we are learning to show up at the gym, well, that’s another approach, too!

I hope this helps you!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Thanks for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

Photo Credit: Is He Faking It Or Not? Who Knows! (My Point!) by Gordon Cowie on Unsplash

An Amazing Thing Happens When You Fake Working Out! You Get Remarkably Buff!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

More unconventional advice to help you, friend!

boy standing near dock

The new guy working out next to me at the gym sounds like he is having a baby every time he lifts his weights, which are obviously at least twenty times too heavy for him.

“Dude. Chill. You’re not going to make it at that level!” I want to yell at him.

People in 59 countries have read my writing, so be authentic by joining in with what everyone else is doing!

What I really want to say is, “Just get THROUGH the class and COME BACK TOMORROW, S.T.U.P.I.D.!” (No! I’m NOT calling him STUPID! This is an “acronym” (sort of) for a high-level, (un)patented training technique you can learn more about HERE!)

And of course, the Holy Grail in this advice is that you should (of course) FAKE working out, SO THAT you’ll come back again tomorrow.

To get through your exercise class, and be TRULY successful by showing up at the gym tomorrow and the next day and the next and (you get the picture), all you need to do is to fake your work out, like this:

  1. Feed your ego enough before you go to the gym (I.e., Find some people who are worse than you at some skill or some character trait so that you know that you are ALREADY amazing! Amazing-er than others!) Then you won’t need to subtly let your worth be valued by how much weight you can lift today!
  2. Consider yourself amazing at the gym, even if you are not actually working very hard! If you sound like you’re going to have a baby today because you are in so much pain, then you’ve failed because it will be too hard to come back the next day!
  3. After your relatively easy workout, come back again tomorrow!

The ONLY goal, remember, is to come back to exercise class tomorrow.

So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit.1

The Message

And so, as you will soon learn, there are many ways to fake a workout so that you can get through it. I will give you four tips on the practical details of HOW EXACTLY to fake your workout another time, so it’s easier for you to come back the following day. But for now, or when all else fails, you can lie on the floor in the fetal position for a while. I’ve done that, so that’s how you know that’s okay to do, too. Remember, I write so that you can be a LOT more like me!

a person laying on the ground on a tennis court

Finally, as proof that I actually know what I’m talking about, I will include a quote from an expert! The instructors who run the gyms who actually want you to get strong have goals like this.

This is actually a real picture of an encouraging poster that was put up recently at my gym.

The instructor’s goal for you is CONSISTENCY. So, to be consistent, we (simply) need to help our ego feel that we are great enough (even if we fake some of the workout!) to get through it and show up again tomorrow. So keep being S.T.U.P.I.D.

The rest is easy!

And, how do you get REMARKABLY buff even though you’ve been faking your workouts? Oh, that’s easy too, friend!

You’ll (eventually) get buff because you keep coming back tomorrow.

If you keep coming back, you’re guaranteed to get stronger!

Pro Tip: Oh! And enjoy your double slice of chocolate cake after the gym, as well! If you worked out, you get extra cake! At least, that’s my motto!

I hope this helps you!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Spectator records athlete with phone, holding

Thanks for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

Photo Credits: WOW! by Ben White on Unsplash, Hey! It Happens! by Dillon Wanner on Unsplash, The MOST Amazing Person At The Gym Today! by Grace Anne Bobadilla on Unsplash

1 Yes! This quote IS referring to the spiritual life, but it’s the same principle, S.T.U.P.I.D.! (No! I’m NOT calling you STUPID!)

4 Unexpected Pieces Of Advice That Will Make You Actually GET To The Gym

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

What you do there is overrated, friend!

My gym installed this mat recently.

Yes, this new mat WAS installed soon after I purchased a membership there, but that is OBVIOUSLY a coincidence, okay! I can’t believe you think there’s any relationship between these two dissociated events! Yes, this article is partially about having a big ego, AND about having a big ego at the gym.

Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)

BUT I’m talking about a GOOD, HELPFUL type of huge ego!

YES! It IS the kind of ego that looks down on others, but NOT RIGHT AWAY. So, give me the benefit of the doubt, people!

For those of you who haven’t slammed your laptop closed yet, let’s dive into four helpful tips from today’s article.

But first, here is an astonishing fact:

People, it’s not that hard to go to the gym.

Really. I just went there. It was, like, 20 minutes of work in a half-hour class, and the rest was stretching and stuff.

20 minutes in a day with 1,440 minutes. That’s 0.01% of your day1. Come on, people!

The only reason why going to the gym is so hard is that you do too much!

And why do you do too much? Well, it’s probably because, like me, you’re a smidgen self-conscious2 when you lift tiny weights, and everyone else has medium (or even large) weights. But don’t get rid of that ego, friend! No! Just be like me and use your unhealthy pride to your own advantage!

What do I mean?

The thing with me is that I know that I’m prideful3. And so, then if I can talk about having an exceptional ego, then it doesn’t control me. And I can realize that my big ego is trying to stop me from going to the gym.

And then I can step on that ego and say, “No! You’re not stopping me from going to the gym! I’m going to go even if I look like a complete loser!” And then I can end up going to the gym.

And then I can be more prideful than others because I’m stronger than others after several months, so I’m actually more prideful in the end.

So this is what you should do:

(1) Actually get to the gym. Even if you are still in your pajamas. Good job!

(2) Remember that THE POINT of being at the gym is to look down on others, but LATER! Keep this in the back of your mind! Let your unhealthy ego fuel you into healthy habits!

Stop being prideful NOW so you can be more prideful later when it really matters!

(3) Don’t worry about lifting heavy weights or doing so much when you’re there! That part is overrated anyway, in my experience!

What you DO at the gym doesn’t actually matter!

(4) And don’t worry about looking like an idiot when you’re there! Yes, you’re not going to be very strong. Get over it! Of course, you’re not very strong! People there have done a lot more work than you. It’s like you’re sitting next to a concert pianist, and you’re sitting there next to them, learning the scales on the piano and wondering why you’re not that good.

Well, yes, you’re not that good, but you’ll get better every time you go, right?

And then you may even find a new vision for yourself!

This encouraging quote below is a partial4 fit with the main point of this article today, but that’s all I got.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace

Ancient Text

Remember: Have fun at the gym!5

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!

Photo Credit – You! You MADE IT there! by Eddie Jones on Unsplash

1 I’m even telling the truth here! 20/1,440

2 Also called “prideful”

3 (Yes, okay! In unhealthy ways, too! Fine! I admit it!)

4 You can’t expect EVERYONE to agree with my extraordinarily helpful advice, anyway -And so there may not be quite as many free quotes that AI can find that line up EXACTLY with my main point.

5 (And then keep going back.)

How To Love Healthy Habits More: Two Identity Hacks You Need

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Come on over and swap your identity! (Why not?)

woman reading book while sitting on white chair

She laughed at me.

But I intended for her to laugh at me that time.

(That’s how we know that she is bright, brilliant and sophisticated – She laughs at the RIGHT time.1)

The funny thing I said to the newbie at the gym after the exercise class was this:

Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)

“You can eat TWO pieces of cake when you get home because you went to the gym!”

“Hahaha!” they laughed.

But STOP for a second. Insert that sound that makes people rewind or halt in a movie – Time stands still for a second while we ask:

WHY, EXACTLY, ARE THEY LAUGHING?

Besides the fact of my sophisticated, exceptionally humorous remarks, they are laughing because:

NO ONE WANTS TO EAT TWO PIECES OF CAKE IMMEDIATELY AFTER GOING TO THE GYM.

Why not?

Because going to the gym, even once, changes our identity.

This identity hack was actually the one thing that helped me to stay within [basically) my weight goal for most of my life – I didn’t focus on losing weight. I focused on movement. This focus changed my self-perceived identity.

As mentioned HERE, I hate it when others (or even the best side of me!) tell me what to do!

“Stop being so bossy!” I yell at them, or even at myself. But if I get some exercise, I don’t immediately want two pieces of cake (it takes a few hours). Being the kind of person who exercises changes my identity, so better dietary habits come a little more easily.

“I’M THE KIND OF PERSON WHO GOES TO THE GYM”, my mind tells my mouth.

An energy ball (or other healthier treat) suddenly seems more appealing, anyway, right now, is how I feel.

a wooden bowl filled with nuts next to a jar of nuts

Who we believe we are drives our behavior.

So, (1) Go to the gym or get outside for a walk or run to begin to change your own idea of who you are!

And when do we start this? We can even begin this type of identity transformation before we get to the gym if we are experts! For example, once my friend said,

“I go swimming three times a week!”

“Oh wow!” I said. “How long have you been doing that?”

“I went swimming twice!” he continued.

He knows who he is! A swimmer! Showing up at the pool is that much easier, friends!

If that fails, then another great identity hack to help us choose healthier habits is (of course) to:

(2) Pretend to be someone else! (This is one of my favorite life and identity hacks.) More on this HERE!

And whichever of these two identity hacks you choose, remember to be S.T.U.P.I.D. about it while you’re at it! (Explanation HERE.)

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Oh! And did you know that God is constantly whispering to us, asking us to change our view of ourselves, too?

If you knew who God made you to be, you’d never want to be anyone else.

Pastor Bill Johnson

Have a listen to what God is whispering, friend.

You may just be surprised at who you end up becoming, once you know who you really are, too.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

The Message

As the song below sings, “You call me deeper still into love . . .” consider asking God, “How do I see myself differently from how You see me?” And may who you believe you are align exactly with how God sees you, friend. (Everything gets easier to DO when we have a closer understanding of who we really ARE.)

Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!

Photo Credits – How’s Your Life? (Need Someone New To Drive Your Car?) by Prophsee Journals on Unsplash, Are Energy Balls Your New Best Friend, Too? by Ophélie Pgt on Unsplash

1 NOT like many of the people who read these articles who laugh at all the serious stuff and are serious when it’s time to laugh at my funny jokes! Why?

The Most Important Hack To Make You Begin To LOVE The Healthier Habits You Currently Hate!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Try this shortcut, friend!

sliced fruits

This article will outline how you, too, can learn to begin to LOVE practicing healthy habits OR if not, how to at least delude yourself into thinking you enjoy healthy habits! Anyway, what’s the difference between loving healthier habits and deluding yourself that you love healthier habits? But more about deluding ourselves successfully another time!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Today, we’ll start by understanding what motivates us to practice healthier eating and exercise habits. I’m actually the kind of person, for example, who hates it when people tell me what to do. I figured this out one afternoon when I was frothing at the mouth and making myself some tea.

Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)

“How dare THEY tell ME when to drink this tea?”, I thought, fuming. “I’ll drink it in the afternoon instead, just to spite them!” The tea was called English BREAKFAST tea. BREAKFAST. I guess you’re supposed to drink it at BREAKFAST.

Maybe this is an item I should get counselling for, too, but my hard-working counsellor hasn’t gotten this far down the list of priority items yet.

I know I could have been, actually, a lot more successful in life if I had taken people’s advice a little more easily. You can check out my daughter’s blog for that. For example, in one of her articles, she mentions some stuff she learned from me!

I’m sure she’ll go far (because it’s ME who told her stuff).

Wait: THE POINT was that we are humble enough to receive advice from others. Same thing! Anyway, we are who we are.

I know myself, and if someone tells ME to do or not do something, even if it’s myself telling me to choose healthier habits, I’ll probably want to kill them or me. Take your pick. No, we need another method than simply muscling through and doing stuff we hate.

Here’s the trick to learning to LOVE to implement healthier habits: Know, think about, meditate on your BIG, HUGE “Why?”

Why should you implement healthier habits?

  • The caring about how you look in a bathing suit when a massive slice of chocolate cake is calling your name stops mattering after middle school. That “Why?” won’t cut it.
  • How about a few more years in your own home, rather than an old folks’ home? That’s a goal to light a bit of a fire behind our butts, still in bed, scrolling on our phones.
  • How about the fact that God has something new for you?

If you knew who God made you to be, you’d never want to be anyone else.

Pastor Bill Johnson

We want to be as healthy as we can become so that God can accomplish all that He has for us through our lives.

How can we have more energy to complete the calling God has for each of our lives? (This stuff matters more than we realize.) That’s it.

(And of course, if we’re not healthy, God can accomplish just as much or even more through us, but that kind of true information muddies the point of this article!)

THE POINT is: Get out of bed, friend!

There are good reasons to get up and to get to the gym or outside for some heart-pumping exercise. And if we can get there, our identity changes a bit, making it MUCH easier to implement your next healthy habit. But more on that next time.

I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. . . . easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites. But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven!

The Message

What more can be said than that?

Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!

How To Get Fit? Be S.T.U.P.I.D (Not S.M.A.R.T.) Of Course!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Sometimes the most important truths are upside down!

a man with a white beard sitting in a gym

“Finally!” I thought.

I had been attending these same classes at the gym for seven months.

It’s only taken me seven months to arrive, so now I can tell others what to do! I sized them up as newbies and immediately joined their group. I looked forward to showing off my knowledge, to “encourage” them, of course.

Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)

This is not even a lie, but in the first set of exercises, I somehow got confused and started doing exercises from the other set.

The two newbies patiently explained to me how to rotate through the three exercises that were listed on the board right in front of me.

“Well, everyone makes a mistake at some point!” I thought to myself.

I sulked while doing the triceps extension exercise, and then the new lady had the audacity to lean over and tell ME to pull my lats down before extending my arms.

I felt like throttling her because I’VE been going to the gym for a while – not YOU! I’M the one who’s supposed to know what’s going on here – not YOU! I’M the one who’s getting stronger – not YOU!

During the break, the irritating newbie who knew what was going on all the time revealed that she used to be an exercise instructor.

“Bad luck!” I thought, waiting for my next victim, a new person at the gym.

Sooner or later, I’ve got to be able to “help” someone else so I can feel1 superior to someone!

The instructors asked us to set a fitness goal for the new year in that class that day. The only one I could think of was the one the instructor had told me. One day, when she was shocked at my (relative) improvement, she blurted out that she thought I could do one (yes, that’s ONE) pull-up next year (yes, that’s next YEAR) if I keep coming to the gym every day and keep working hard!

I actually didn’t have any faith or confidence that I could achieve this goal.

Still, she thinks I will get stronger because I KEEP COMING BACK to the gym, even though everyone else (show-offs!) always seems to know what’s going on all the time, and even though I might not (always!) be impressive to look at when I’m at the gym.

AND you WILL get fitter, too, if you are S.T.U.P.I.D., not S.M.A.R.T.

“What do you mean,” you ask, scratching your head.

Last time, we discussed how the best types of goals are S.T.U.P.I.D., not S.M.A.R.T. A S.M.A.R.T. goal is (See the Footnote2 – They are boring to read about!), but S.T.U.P.I.D. goals are based (however loosely) on the high-powered acronym full of immense wisdom, “K.I.S.S. = Keep It Simple, STUPID.” (See full explanation of the details of S.T.U.P.I.D. Goal Setting HERE.)

So setting a S.T.U.P.I.D. goal means that you keep it simple and choose TO KEEP GOING.

For example, if you KEEP GOING to the gym, even if you’re not very strong and you still don’t know what’s going on after seven months, you will actually get fitter because you’ve set a S.T.U.P.I.D. goal.

“I’m going to KEEP GOING” to the gym is my S.T.U.P.I.D. goal. It’s simple. I keep going, S.T.U.P.I.D.!

So set a S.T.U.P.I.D. fitness goal and then keep going!

We are getting stronger, even if we’re not really much “help” to anyone else practically, and we still get confused (sometimes!).

So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit.

The Message

Setting S.T.U.P.I.D. goals is similarly immensely important for other areas of life, including emotional and spiritual growth. However, you can’t expect me to share ALL my manifest wisdom at once! Stay tuned for next time, and I’ll continue to draw on the insights gained from my time at the gym and in life, in general, so that I can continue to “help” you, too!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

After some thankfulness for the good things already in your life, consider asking God what the new direction you need to set your life and your heart towards is. Will you keep going and not give up, too, friend? May God give you the joy, courage (and of course, the S.M.A.R.T.s) to keep walking in the right direction, friend.

Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!

Photo Credit – He’s Getting Fit, Too! by Centre for Ageing Better on Unsplash

1 A BIT at least! I’m human!

2 S.M.A.R.T. Goal: S = Specific, M = Measurable, A = Attainable, R = Relevant, T = Time-bound

“How-To-Succeed” Made Simple: Set S.T.U.P.I.D. Goals – Not S.M.A.R.T. Goals!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
person holding purple and pink box

Today, we will discuss the importance of goal planning. I have already outlined the critical requirements for setting New Year’s goals HERE. I’ll continue this discussion with a brief introduction to the ONLY type of goal-setting system you will need for the year.

Stop setting S.M.A.R.T. goals! Set S.T.U.P.I.D. goals instead!

Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)

As all the intense, Type-A people know, with exhausting alacrity, S.M.A.R.T. Goals are an acronym standing for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic (Ha! What IS realistic anymore?1) and Time-Bound.

I’m exhausted just writing out all these terms! Whew! Thankfully, I have developed (“Patent” Pending) a new type of goal setting that is a LOT easier!

It’s called (of course) setting goals that are S.T.U.P.I.D.!

S.T.U.P.I.D. goals aren’t actually an acronym. But we put periods after each letter because it looks cooler that way, and also, no one pays attention to grammar rules anymore. No one younger than Grade 5 even knows what an acronym is, or ever will know, so we’re safe there with the younger crowd, for sure.

S.T.U.P.I.D. goals are (distantly) derived from Einstein (See how S.M.A.R.T. these goals REALLY Are?), who made a statement about simplicity that later became colloquially known as “Keep It Simple, Stupid”.

So, S.T.U.P.I.D. goals are SIMPLE goals.

You can apply S.T.U.P.I.D. goals to all areas of your life!

For now, let’s illustrate this goal-setting method by starting with Spiritual Goals. The best definition of spiritual maturity is2:

One who gets up quickly after they fall.

We’ll massage more of the striking truths from this statement in a later article, but essentially, the best way to grow in any area of life turns out to be is:

To not give up.

As proven HERE regarding Fall Fairs, or HERE concerning physical goals like going to the gym, it’s not being amazing that matters most, but that we keep showing up!

The same principle applies to the spiritual life.

Most people give up too soon in their search for God.

Is it annoying people who keep you away from your search for God? Read THIS if so, but keep going on your spiritual journey, friend!

Is God distant, just out of reach? Read THIS if so, but keep going on your spiritual journey, friend!

Do you think God is a mean dictator, and you’re running the other direction? Read THIS if so, but keep going, friend, on your spiritual journey!

He longs to walk WITH us on this journey we call life. He wants us to WANT to want to seek Him. Will you KEEP (The key is this word – Don’t give up!) seeking Him?

And maybe if you are lucky, you may even have some spiritual insights that you can share online, and then be a spiritual “expert”3 like me4 one day!

If we don’t give up, even though most people do, and keep walking forward, following where we last saw his footsteps and carving out time in our busy day to sit with Him, unhurried, we will find ourselves surprised by hints of the divine, if our eyes are open and maybe if we even ask a trusted friend where to look.

There’s more to come . . .

The Message

Keep walking, friend.

And keep being S.T.U.P.I.D. to find true life success!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!

Photo Credit – All You Need Is A Few Sticky Notes To Succeed! by Eden Constantino on Unsplash

1 Oops! I got the “R” acronym wrong. Well, close enough!

2 My husband told me this. Isn’t he S.M.A.R.T.? He helps me remember that spiritual success is NOT about being better than others, for example, which I had forgotten (once)! Another time, we will discuss WHY this is the best definition of spiritual maturity.

3 Definition confidential.

4 Because I write about God online! Although I’m not sure why people laugh at the wrong times when they read my writing? It must be their spiritual immaturity. Sorry for being offensive.

Life Wisdom And Advice! Let Them Laugh At You Now So You Can Laugh At Them Later!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

He was still in his pajamas (I’m not even lying).1

He hadn’t yet combed his hair. He was sucking back coffee in the car on the way there. He didn’t have his water bottle. He had forgotten it. But he didn’t even realize that yet.

He was still waking up.

I, on the other hand, was a whole different story.

I drank no coffee, but pre-hydrated with lemon water, and I did everything else right (as usual). My pre-stretching routine began precisely fifteen minutes before we arrived. The checklist of items to be completed the night before was all checked off with my tidy little tick marks. My kale and mango smoothie was waiting for me in the fridge for a quick after-exercise snack. My day’s clothes were laid out and waiting, so I could make a fast transition from caterpillar to butterfly, as my husband said.

(Wait – what DOES that mean?! Caterpillar?! Now I’ll have to be mad at him to establish the power balance in the correct ratio!)

But we’re not talking about that.

We’re talking about people laughing at you. And by laughing at you, I literally mean “you” or “my friend” and definitely not “me”. Wanted to be very clear about that.

And now: the person to laugh at. My friend – we’ll call him Jim.2

He forgot his rain jacket, and we had to park away from the gym. So it was pretty rough that five minutes ago, he was asleep, and then he’s standing outside in the rain in his pajamas, waiting for the gym to open, and trying to slug back enough coffee not to accidentally murder those standing around us.

However, in six months, when he can do the fireman carry, which scientists have proven is directly correlated to overall well-being, and they can’t then who’s laughing now?

Or when he’s in a rocking chair, but he had two more years of being able to move a suitcase and put it in the overhead bin on a plane, and to stay in his own home longer (Yes, the goal as we age is to delay old folks’ homes); then who’s laughing now?

When we’re sitting next to each other in rocking chairs, but we’ve got one more year living at home because we worked out at the gym every morning for ten years, who’s laughing now?

Somehow, I’m already anticipating laughing at little (older) men and ladies in rocking chairs. How did I end up there? Well, let’s not think too much about the ethics of all of this or your maturity level to take this approach.

The point is, LET THEM LAUGH!

GO AHEAD! Show up at the gym in your pajamas with unkempt hair and having forgotten your water bottle! Let them laugh!

But when the rocking chairs come out, baby, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

My husband and I will laugh at you.

Guaranteed.

(Unless you, too, are willing to be laughed at with us now!)

Come on! Join a gym! Let them laugh at you!

And while you’re at it, there are other ways to be laughed at with similar benefits in later years:

Ask the hard questions you have about God.

Even though you assume NO ONE EXCEPT YOU has ever thought deeply about these issues, such as:

  • How can there just be only ONE true religion?
  • How could a good God allow suffering?
  • How can a loving God send people to hell?

You’ll realize that multiple groups of people have completed their PhDs on every one of your questions3, and there is probably a bit more to think about with each of these topics than you may have realized at first glance, which will make you feel stupid.

But remember what we learned!

Feel stupid now so you won’t feel QUITE as stupid later!

Be willing to look like an idiot now so you won’t look so stupid when you stand before God naked and without cultural gold stars after you die!

God is SO pleased that you are TRYING.

He’s holding out his arms and waiting for you.

(And He won’t even laugh at your mistakes, like I will!4)

Photo Credit – This photo is from Unsplash, but I couldn’t find the exact link at the moment. (I AM very organized of course! Read the FIRST BIT of this article to prove that!)

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

1 To his credit, his pajamas looked a bit like sweatpants, but that ruins the point of this article if I point out EVERY detail like that! Also, he had his gym shorts on under his pajamas, but I didn’t notice that at first, so that doesn’t count.

2 (Because my husband was starting to go to the gym that day, so that’s why I called my husband “Jim”.)

3 For answers to 99.01% of modern people’s questions about God, try Tim Keller’s Reason for God. Every question listed here is discussed with unusual frankness and a disproportionate amount of depth of insight in this book, for example.

4 Don’t take it personally. Life is more fun when we laugh at ourselves and others. (Yes, at you, too). You’re welcome! Good luck!

Eye-Opening – God Actually Encourages Us To Complete The Triathlon?

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

While my back still felt like an old lady’s, when I had to yell at people so they could hear me as I spoke to their waist, hunched over, I announced I would do a triathlon.

“Well . . . if I can walk, I will do a triathlon,” I clarified.

Click HERE to continue reading.

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!