Stairmaster, Sweat, and the Sanctification of My Mindset

"Your biggest obstacle isn’t the mountain in front of you.

It’s the mindset you’ve wrapped around it.”

Let’s get something straight: I am an athletic woman. You may not believe that if you knew me as a kid, but that’s because growing up, my cardio consisted of shopping the clearance rack and running my mouth, not the track.

While other girls were doing cartwheels across the field, I was more concerned with how my bangs looked under the Friday night lights. I was passionate about lip gloss, spiral perms, and learning the words to every Mariah Carey song. Sports? Not exactly my thing.

Meanwhile, my sister was practically a walking protein shake. The girl was born with muscle definition. Any sport she tried, she crushed. She’s the type who hikes for fun. She sends me pictures from Catalina Island every summer, looking like she just walked off the set of Survivor, while I’m over here wondering if my skin can physically handle that much nature.

But somewhere along the way, something clicked.

In my twenties, I fell in love with running — and I ran everywhere. A full marathon, more half-marathons than I can count, and every 10K I could find. Running became my therapy. My sanity. My way of processing everything life threw at me.

Then in my late thirties, I discovered weightlifting. Picking up heavy things? It weirdly lit a fire in me. By 2023, I did something I never thought I’d do — I competed in a fitness competition. It was the most challenging, exhilarating, and “what-was-I-thinking” experience of my adult life. It took every ounce of mental strength I had — and then some. But it changed me.

Not just my body. My mind.

That experience taught me something powerful: mindset is everything. For years, I’d looked at challenges — especially physical ones — and thought, “That’s not for me,” or “I could never do that.” But somewhere between deadlifts and saying no to cookies, I learned the power of yes. I learned what happens when I stop disqualifying myself and start trusting God to meet me where I’m weak.

So when my sister — a.k.a. Nature Barbie — asked me to backpack Catalina Island with her this summer (yes, backpack, as in four days of hiking, sleeping outside, carrying everything I need on my back), my answer wasn’t a sarcastic laugh or a hard pass.

It was, “Heck yes.”

Because this isn’t just about hiking. It’s about how I think. And I’ve learned that with the right mindset — and God’s strength — I can do things that once felt completely out of reach.

Now, don’t get me wrong — I still get elevation sickness just looking at a mountain. But I’m training with a weighted vest on the Stairmaster like it’s my part-time job. Not because I love the Stairmaster (spoiler: I don’t), but because I love what it’s building in me.

Discipline. Endurance. Mindset.

That’s the real transformation.

Sometimes the biggest thing standing in our way isn’t the mountain — it’s our perspective. And when we let God renew our minds, He doesn’t just help us climb the mountain — He uses the mountain to change us.

So this September, I’m strapping on a pack, loading up the trail mix, and heading out into the wild. I’m saying yes to bug bites, body odor, and memories I’ll never forget. Because this isn’t about proving something. It’s about believing something:

With God, I can.

With the right mindset, nothing is wasted.

Even in the wilderness, He’s doing something new in me.

And that’s a hike I’m willing to take.

My Prayer:

Jesus, thank You for renewing my mind and changing the way I see myself. Thank You for reminding me that I’m not who I used to be — I am strong, disciplined, and full of potential because You live in me. When I face hard things, remind me that You don’t call the qualified — You qualify the called. Give me the courage to say yes to the stretch, yes to the uncomfortable, and yes to the transformation You’re working in me. Strengthen my body, yes — but more than that, strengthen my mindset. Because that’s where the real miracles begin.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.