Finding Freedom in Faith and Fitness: A Journey of Wellness and Worship with Shaela Daugherty
Do you use exercise as a way to earn food?
Does exercise feel like a punishment for overeating?
If exercise is something you dread, it’s time to be set free. As the Scriptures say, “If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed” (John 8:36) which includes the need to use exercise to shrink your body, validate your efforts, or use it as way to justify your choices with food.
While truly changing your mindset takes time, we believe you already have everything you need in Christ to be set free from these chains that hold us back from an abundant life of surrender with God.
In our conversation with Shaela Daugherty, we discuss the difference between:
Outcome-based goals verses identity-based goals
Walking away from quick fixes and adopting a sustainable exercise routine with built-in breaks
Letting go of sweating the small stuff and learning how to enjoy the little things
Through her story, professional experience, and by using Scripture, Shaela challenges us to ask how our current routines are expressing our freedom in the Lord: are your methods working for you now? Why or why not?
We hope this episode will encourage you to pursue Jesus and experience a healthier relationship with fitness.
About Shaela Daugherty
Shaela is a fitness and nutrition coach who loves helping women remove decision fatigue in health and wellness through done for you programs, courses and coaching, and point women to Christ as the ultimate foundation for all fitness and health goals.
You can find Shaela here:
Move Differently: The Way We Think about God Changes our Fitness Mindset
Join us on a transformative journey of faith and fitness as we explore how spirituality shapes our well-being. In today’s episode, we dive deep into the intersection of theology and health with a certified trainer who found God's grace through movement. Tune in for Shaela’s story with seminary, Crossfit, and how she found freedom in the Lord in her relationship with fitness.
3 Takeaways:
See fitness through the lens of the gospel: it’s all about Jesus!
Eliminate the connection between working off your food and adopt a mindset of freedom.
Learn the spiritual discipline of celebration and take the focus off yourself in your movement journey.
Scriptures to Help You Find Freedom in Fitness:
Your body is a gift and takes care of you day and night: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” —James 1:17
You are no longer chained to fitness rules: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
Your success does not depend on your workouts—God is the one who works it all out: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” —Romans 8:28
3 Faith and Fitness Resources for Christians:
Shaela’s Workout App with faith-based fitness routines, nutrition tips, and habit formation
Joyful Movement Habit Worksheets to help you troubleshoot starting and sustaining a movement routine
Have You Taken our Body Blessings Course Yet?
Do you need a tool to help you praise God with your health and body? This is it.
Shaela talks about being free from the fitness rules and understanding God’s freedom when it comes to moving your body differently. If you want to start tuning in to how you were made to move, our Body Blessings Course will walk you through intuitive health tracking pages, prayer journaling, and more exercises to move you from being preoccupied with culture’s impossible standards and leaning into your own God-given body.
If you can answer "yes and amen" to the following, then we think this course would be a great fit:
Get unstuck with a body image centered prayer practice
Integrate emotions and sensations into a healthy body image with printable guides
Discover intuitive eating and movement patterns and respond with kindness
Uncover how to fully enjoy God in your right now body
Move from preoccupation with self to worship and praise
Share your takeaways:
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