Exercise is not necessarily a dirty word; but unlike my friend, I don't wake up at 5 a.m. and jump into workout clothes with a smile on my face.

Every new year it's the same resolution. Every upcoming event becomes a get-in-shape goal. But “I'll start tomorrow” usually wins the battle of the mind.

I inherited longevity genes from both sides. So my dad's comment, “If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of this body,” can never flow from these lips.

I am grateful for those genes, for good health, and for gentle encouragement from that 5 a.m. workout-nut friend. She shares her locker with me at the gym, she gives me vitamins, and she watches me eat raspberry cream cheese danish and says nothing (although her abstinent presence is conviction in itself!).

Today I went back to the gym – half an hour on the treadmill. And I feel good!

I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. I Corinthians 9:27