Matthew Pryor's Blog: Body Tithe

What do a goldfish, guinea pig, rabbit, chinchilla, ferret, dog, chicken, and cat all have in common? 

Give up?

They are all animals I’ve personally had as pets. 

This doesn’t include the plethora of animals with whom I shared residence throughout my childhood. Others were: a canary, Westie, domestic mix breed cat, blue gourami fish, parakeet, calico, gerbils, neon tetras, another Westie, Himalayan, mourning doves, tiger barbs, Birman, finches, algae-eating catfish, Lab mix, Birman-...

I grew up having access to acres and acres of woods. Playing. Exploring. Climbing. Jumping. The woods were a playground for me. 

While I wasn’t one of those wild kids who were born without the fear gene, I wouldn’t consider myself a particularly fearful child. Many hours were spent swinging from tree vines. Turning over creek rocks looking for crawfish. Wading through a pond on a golf course, feet digging in mud in hopes of finding balls to sell back to the golfers. Racing around the yard...

I used to work with a woman who seemed to rarely want to learn anything new. It wasn’t because she wasn’t a hard-working employee; in fact, quite the opposite. She had played an important role in helping the boss start the company. She wore multiple hats and kept many plates spinning. She was loyal, trustworthy, and detail-oriented.

So why the resistance to learn anything new? Her answer? “Cause then I’ll have to do it.” 

Truth be told, she had acquired countless new skills over her ca...

In college, my roommate and I went to Red River Gorge to do some mountain biking. He was from eastern Kentucky and had spent countless hours playing around in “The Gorge.” I had also been to this amazing natural resource, so we felt more than equipped to handle the day trip.

The biking wasn’t all that technical, which was good for a novice like me. While I’m not afraid of some action, I’m not exactly an adrenaline junky either. Some gentle sloping switchbacks and occasional accelerated de...

Probably the best book I’ve read on love and relationships is Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages. This masterpiece sheds so much light on why and how we give and receive love. There’s a reason it’s a perennial best-seller and has a five-star rating with nearly 40,000 reviews. 

In the book, Chapman explains that there are five primary ways people speak the language of love. We don’t speak them all equally. In fact, there is one, maybe two, we speak natively. The others we speak occasional...

2020 was rough. Like, really rough. 

And not rough in the “Wow, that workout was hard. I’m going to be sore, but I think I’ll do it again in a couple weeks and see how it goes” sort of way. 

More like, “Uh… what just happened? That was b-r-u-t-a-l. I never want to go near that workout ever again. Ever. Who thought this was a good idea? I feel awful. Exercise is now ruined. I might be able to muster the strength to take a stroll… to the mailbox… on Thursdays. Otherwise, I’ve had enough....

It should be no secret that having accountability can make a huge difference with your health and fitness. In fact, there are studies that prove it:

Healthy partners influence their partner to be healthier.

Those who share progress on social media lose more weight, whether it is with selfies or on Twitter.

Accountability partners, whether in person or online, increase your chances of success.

Accountability can be a game changer.

You may have never thought of it this way, but...

Have I got your attention?

I know it sounds contrary to what you’ve been told your whole life. After all, if it’s a bad way to lose weight, what’s with all the gyms, fitness studios, and video-based workout programs? Running clubs? Jazzercise? Pilates? Treadmills and stationary bikes? None of it makes any difference?

Yes.

And no.

The fact of the matter is, losing weight by exercise alone is not a good strategy. Let me explain.

Let’s say you weigh 160 pounds and you run 6 miles per hour. After...

The Bible is littered with the most extraordinary sentences ever written.

Fantastical stories…

“Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.” – Jonah 1:17

“Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. ‘What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?’ it asked Balaam.” – Numbers 22:28

Incredible heroes…

“ButRuthreplied, ‘Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go;...

It’s 2020. We have electric, self-driving cars. On demand access to nearly every TV show, movie, or song ever made. Wind energy created literally out of thin air. The world is changing faster and faster.

Yet with all these advances in science and technology, we still so easily forget even the simplest of things. The more change, the harder it is to keep track of everything. No combination of Post-It notes and Alexa reminders will do.

Have you recently forgotten something from the grocery? A...