5 Unique Ways to Combine Prayer and Exercise

“Ora et labora,” means “Pray and work,” and often serves as the motto for monastic communities. The idea of combining work and prayer is an ancient one that can be applied today, but with a twist: “Pray and Work Out.” This combination has many physical and spiritual benefits. First, it saves time by combining two activities that are beneficial for body, mind and soul. Secondly, the melding of prayer and exercise is synergistic - workouts feel less stressful and the time seems to fly when you’re engaging in prayer. Furthermore, the mind clearing effect of exercise helps open the mind for reflection and meditation, enhancing your prayer time. Finally, you are reinforcing two habits. If you already regularly pray or work out, it’s fairly easy to add the other activity to an established routine. If you don’t do either, you really only have to establish one new habit instead of two. Following are five ideas to combine prayer and exercise, a form of multi-tasking that will make both your prayer and your workouts more physically and spiritually rewarding.

Bible Verse Ab Workout

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Select a short Bible verse that you would like to memorize. Repeat the verse over and over while you do a brief ab workout—crunches, twisting crunches, planks, medicine ball “wood chops” or your favorite ab exercise. (If you are unfamiliar with proper form and technique, there are plenty of resources available online. Look for reputable sites such as fitness magazine websites, national organizations like the American Council on Exercise, certified personal trainer youtube videos, etc. Avoid any sites or videos made by amateurs.) To aid your memorization, record the Bible verse and play it on repeat while you perform the exercises. After about 3-5 minutes, you’ll likely know the verse and have stronger abs. This technique can be used for other workouts such as weight training or cardio.

Stretching in God’s Presence

Regular stretching sessions increase flexibility and minimize the chance of injury, but it’s often hard to find the five or so minutes needed for a thorough stretch. You might be more motivated if you look at stretching as a chance to spend some quiet time with the Lord. The “gold standard” resource for this topic is a book called, appropriately, Stretching, by Bob Anderson. Choose several stretches for various parts of the body, focusing on legs, shoulders and back. As you stretch, breathe in and out deeply and try to get into a state of relaxation. Place yourself in God’s presence and tell him what is in your heart. Be sure to take time to listen for his word and guidance as well.