Physical fitness is essential for all of us. The health of the mind depends to a large extent on that of the body. What Paul objects to is a wrong perspective. Both areas require discipline and self-control, but spiritual training provides us with a far more enduring purpose than any system of physical exercise. No clear-thinking person would deny that it is better to be morally and spiritually good and upright than to be physically strong.
Spiritual development is the work of a lifetime.
Therefore it involves as much constant and strenuous exercise of the mind and heart as does physical fitness. To achieve physical fitness we must avoid smoking, drinking, and all those foods and practices that tend to weaken the body. Similarly, in the spiritual life we are to control those appetites and desires that make godliness impossible. We are spiritual and moral athletes for Christ. Self-control and personal discipline are as much required of us as of the artist, the musician, the scientist, and the athlete.