Being married for 21 years is tough enough, but this couple owns a gym together. Matt and Tamara Garner bought Solcioty Fitness in Columbus GA almost exactly a year ago. They join me on the podcast to talk about motivation to stick to fitness goals, both physically and spiritually. And stick around to hear your pod host do a little rap. Also, make sure to subscribe to "Run The Race"!

(4:50) You don’t know what you don’t know. They explain what that means, when it comes to getting in shape, which involves discipline and desire. Frustrated after not seeing results after the first few weeks of the New Year? Matt and Tamara know that gyms can be intimidating, but they dispel some misconceptions and say changing habits and attending fitness classes helps.

They also focus on (11:22) spiritual fitness. Tamara talks about previously having diet and exercise as idols, breaking free of body shaming. This couple says the focus shouldn’t just be on our physical appearance, but also our soul, God wanting both. The Garners are bold enough to share the Gospel and have small group bible studies inside their gym, so how does that work? (17:49) They say prayer and fasting is a better way to start the New Year than joining a gym and tracking your food. Find out why. Being healthy, they say, can also help fight off a bad version of the coronavirus.

(26:45) They do sports together as a family, both sons learning character through playing, while both parents are both coaches of several high school sports. Tamara transitioned from cheerleading to now track and cross county, as she enjoys running herself, (36:13) while Matt took a turn from a business and retail career to the fitness industry. They now can tell success stories from Solcioty Fitness, where they cheer on people in a place where they know it can be tough to walk in the door.

(44:52) In the final segments, I do my version of Christian hip hop artist Andy Mineo’s song “Not Gon’ Do” for Stuck in my Head, while “Parting Gift” is some coaching/kids talk from The Bible, following by my closing prayer.

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