Early morning workouts and a renewed passion to follow Jesus have inspired Lisa Jarvis to work with staff and volunteers at Lifeline Recovery Center to develop a wellness program that will help women heal their minds, bodies, and souls.
Lifeline is a Christ-centered recovery program in Paducah that helps about 150 individuals each year overcome life-controlling addictions. This nine-month, three-phase residential and non-residential program incorporates the 12-step Celebrate Recovery program and teaches clients how to change their lives from the inside out through counseling, Bible study, job skills training, and employment assistance.
Before volunteering at Lifeline, Jarvis was already teaching a fitness class at a local gym that incorporated a Bible study. Through this class, Jarvis saw that as her students’ bodies became healthier, their mental and spiritual health began to transform, as well.
“Not only was exercise strengthening our bodies, but it gave us more energy, improved our endurance, built confidence, and drew us closer together as a group,” Jarvis says.
One night, while attending a church service where Lifeline clients were also in attendance, Jarvis felt God laying it on her heart to talk to Lifeline’s Executive Director, Ashley Miller, about starting a fitness class for the organization’s women’s campus.
For a long time, Miller and her colleagues had wanted to incorporate fitness and nutrition into their wellness program. With substances no longer an option for comfort, food sometimes becomes a source of healing. As a result, many women who complete the Lifeline program gain weight, which can add to an overwhelming sense of worthlessness that drives some back to substance abuse.
“Body image is important [to our overall health],” Miller says. “[Lifeline’s] men’s program has had an exercise component for some time, but we have not been able to offer this program to women until now. It’s neat how God has brought things together, orchestrating everything from behind the scenes.”
Jarvis worked with Miller and her staff to raise funds to purchase equipment and gear for the women to participate in a program she calls FaithFit. Today, Jarvis and three volunteers—Karyn Carroll, Steph Synder, and Kim Jones—lead a 50-minute workout two days a week with the women at Lifeline.
“I have already seen changes in these women [since the class began in January],” Lifeline Women’s Center Director, Billie Preston, says. “They are not only talking about eating healthy, but also about renewing their minds.”
The class incorporates a Bible study that teaches women the importance of physical strength and the role that physical activity plays in one’s mental and spiritual health. It’s teaching them that there is more to life than what they have been experiencing.
“I hope these women see how strong, valuable, and beautiful they are,” Jarvis says. “I want them to see who they are in Christ and that, through Him, they can do anything they set their minds to. I want them to see themselves the way God sees them and to know that He has a plan and a purpose for their lives.”
Ashley Barton entered Lifeline as a client in January of this year. The FaithFit class and the nutrition counseling she receives through the center have given her a new outlook on life just in the short time she’s been there.
“We are all starting to feel good about ourselves,” Barton says. “I love how I feel now. I don’t see myself going back to the madness ever again.”
The majority of Lifeline’s staff and volunteers have come through the program, as well. Barton says it makes her feel good to know they are able to understand how it feels to walk in her shoes.
“All of the women who come to work with us [at Lifeline] are so caring. When I’m struggling, they are always there to comfort you and to encourage you,” she says. “If you don’t know how to get there, someone here does. I never knew it was that easy to get connected to the Lord.”
Lifeline and the FaithFit program offer clients tools for living. The women in this program are building a toolbox for a successful and sober life. They are training their minds to think differently and to manage stress and anxiety in a more healthy, productive way.
“Exercise releases endorphins, boosts our energy, alleviates stress, and improves our mood,” Jarvis says. “It helps build self-confidence and truly spills over into every area of your life.”
According to Miller, many of the women who enter Lifeline feel unworthy and are filled with guilt and shame about their past. She hopes that the women who come through the FaithFit program will feel good about themselves and will use the techniques they learn today to make better choices after they complete the program.
“Getting healthy and fit is not the end, in and of itself,” Jarvis says. “We must be strong so that we are ready to do all that God has in store for our lives. I remind the women in our class that every day is a new day. The past is in the past, and it’s time to live life to the fullest going forward.”
More information on Lifeline Recovery Center can be found at www.lifelinerecoverycenter.org.
