If you look back over my website, you’ll see that I wrote quite a bit about running many years ago. I wrote about how I got started, my motivation, and how things were progressing. I also enjoyed writing recaps after my races. It was a very fun and rewarding time in my life!

Well, fast-forward to 2024. I’m 53 years old now, and I struggle to find the joy in running that I once did. The main reason is that I don’t feel like I’ve got the lung capacity that I had pre-Covid. I don’t want to give up on running just yet. But I’m not pushing myself because it’s just not fun in this stage of life.

However, I’ve found a new love! I’ve been going to the gym faithfully for about a year and loving it! At present, I hit the gym about 5 days a week. Each session includes about 30 minutes of weight lifting and then time on a stationary bike. I usually stay on the bike for about 30 minutes and average 7-8 miles.

I wanted to write about today’s workout. There have been times in my life when I enjoyed doing weight training. I even got to train under a former Mr. America (Ron Lacy) for a few months when I was in college. He was a member of my church and I spent quite a bit of time working out in his garage.

But I was never able to bench press more than 200 lbs. That was a ceiling that I just couldn’t overcome, no matter how hard I tried.

I’ve been increasing my weight load, using the methods in Michael Matthews’ book, “Bigger, Leaner, Stronger.” In the past couple of months, I’ve been able to bench 205lbs a couple of times. But it still felt like the ceiling was trying to hold me down.

Today, I hopped on a Smith Machine and just wanted to see what I could do. I ended up benching 225 lbs six times! And I still had some energy in the tank!

I believe what the Scripture says when it informs me that my body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Most Christians suspect that those verses only focus on our spiritual lives as they call us to obedience and holiness. But I don’t believe that the focus is solely spiritual. After all, it doesn’t say, “Your SPIRIT is a Temple of the Holy Spirit.” Instead, it says, “Your BODY is a Temple of the Holy Spirit.” I believe that verse calls us to spiritual AND physical health.

I’m enjoying seeing just how much this 53-year-old Temple is capable of! After all, the Holy Spirit lives within me. So, I want to give Him a good strong house!

If you are interested in joining me on this journey, just shoot me an e-mail. I’d be glad to encourage you and help you as much as I’m able.

E-mail: mattellis1997@gmail.com

I took this picture after doing some bench presses.