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Welcome to Faithful Fitness—discipleship for the body. Coach Alex here. This isn’t about chasing aesthetics or quick fixes. It’s about becoming a better steward of the body God has entrusted...
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Welcome to Faithful Fitness—discipleship for the body.
Coach Alex here. This isn’t about chasing aesthetics or quick fixes.
It’s about becoming a better steward of the body God has entrusted to you—through truth, discipline, and daily obedience. Each episode sits at the intersection of faith, physiology, and formation—where Scripture and science work together to build strength that actually lasts.
What You’ll Find Here:
💪 Training & Nutrition That Works
Simple, effective strategies rooted in exercise science—not trends.
📖 Biblical Stewardship & Identity
Learn what it means to honor God with your body in a culture that treats it casually.
🎙️ Conversations That Sharpen You
Interviews with leaders in health, performance, and faith—applied through a Christian lens.
🔥 Challenges & Community
Join structured seasons like Faithful40 and Shred—where growth happens with others, not alone.
Your body isn’t separate from your faith.
It’s one of the primary places your faith is lived out. “You are not your own… therefore honor God with your body.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 If you’re tired of starting over…
If you know you’re capable of more…
If you’re ready to build discipline that actually sticks— You’re in the right place. Train hard. Pray harder. Get 1% better—daily.
📌 Join the Community: https://faithfulfitness.co/premium
📘 Get the Devotional: https://faithfulfitnessdevo.com
#FaithfulFitness #AlexVanHouten #FaithfulFitnessPodcast #ChristianHealth #BiblicalStewardship #TrainHardPrayHarder
show less
Coach Alex here. This isn’t about chasing aesthetics or quick fixes.
It’s about becoming a better steward of the body God has entrusted to you—through truth, discipline, and daily obedience. Each episode sits at the intersection of faith, physiology, and formation—where Scripture and science work together to build strength that actually lasts.
What You’ll Find Here:
💪 Training & Nutrition That Works
Simple, effective strategies rooted in exercise science—not trends.
📖 Biblical Stewardship & Identity
Learn what it means to honor God with your body in a culture that treats it casually.
🎙️ Conversations That Sharpen You
Interviews with leaders in health, performance, and faith—applied through a Christian lens.
🔥 Challenges & Community
Join structured seasons like Faithful40 and Shred—where growth happens with others, not alone.
Your body isn’t separate from your faith.
It’s one of the primary places your faith is lived out. “You are not your own… therefore honor God with your body.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 If you’re tired of starting over…
If you know you’re capable of more…
If you’re ready to build discipline that actually sticks— You’re in the right place. Train hard. Pray harder. Get 1% better—daily.
📌 Join the Community: https://faithfulfitness.co/premium
📘 Get the Devotional: https://faithfulfitnessdevo.com
#FaithfulFitness #AlexVanHouten #FaithfulFitnessPodcast #ChristianHealth #BiblicalStewardship #TrainHardPrayHarder
Faithful Fitness With Coach Alex VanHouten
Faithful Fitness With Coach Alex VanHouten
Alexander VanHoutenSupport the Podcast
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Transcribed
1 OCT 2026 · What if sports and fitness could become more than recreation?
What if they could become a doorway for discipleship, outreach, family formation, and community connection?In this episode of the Faithful Fitness Podcast, Coach Alex sits down with Travis Vaughn from Upward to talk about the powerful intersection of faith, fitness, sports ministry, and the local church.
Travis shares the mission behind Upward, including how sports create opportunities for churches to connect with families who may never walk through the sanctuary doors but are willing to walk through the gym door or field gate.He also opens up about his own fitness journey—from running in college, stepping away from the sport, gaining 90 pounds, and eventually spending seven years chasing a Boston Marathon qualifying time.
Together, Travis and Alex talk about perseverance, injuries, fatherhood, setting an example, knowing your “why,” and why adult fitness may be one of the next big discipleship opportunities for the church.This conversation is for runners, walkers, parents, pastors, coaches, ministry leaders, and anyone who believes the body God gave us should serve more than ourselves.
Episode Notes-
Travis Vaughn serves with Upward, where he helps oversee market research, product development, marketing, and the Upward Running initiative.Early in the conversation, Travis explains that Upward’s data shows 41% of kids coming through their sports experiences are not connected to a local church. Coach Alex and Travis discuss why that matters for outreach, community, and the Great Commission.Travis shares how each player brings an average of three people to games, giving churches repeated opportunities to welcome families, build relationships, and expose kids and parents to devotionals and gospel-centered community.
The conversation then turns personal as Travis tells the story of his running journey. After running in high school and college, he stopped running for more than a decade, gained about 90 pounds, and eventually hit a “fed up” point that moved him back toward health.Travis also shares the long, difficult road toward qualifying for Boston, including Achilles tendinopathy, a meniscus root tear, surgery, setbacks, and finally running his qualifying time in brutal weather.
Coach Alex and Travis talk about what keeps people going when fitness gets hard: knowing your why, setting goals, and keeping your word even when the journey takes longer than expected.
The second half of the episode explores Upward Running, the challenge of adult fitness ministry, and why churches may need a bigger vision for physical stewardship.
Coach Alex and Travis wrestle honestly with the question: why is it often easier for churches to organize sports for kids than to help adults steward their bodies well?
The episode closes with Travis encouraging listeners to pursue something challenging, goal-oriented, and meaningful—something that pushes them beyond comfort and helps them grow.
If this conversation stirred something in you about your own health, habits, and stewardship, take the next step with the Faithful Fitness Health and Habits Profile.https://faithfulfitness.co/assessment
Also, check out Upward’s recent project, Upward Running
https://upwardrunning.com/ Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Transcribed
24 SEP 2026 · What do you want your kids to believe about food when they are 35 years old?
In part two of the Faithful Family series, Coach Alex turns the conversation from family movement to family nutrition. But this is not an episode about raising kids who count every calorie, fear sugar, or attach guilt and shame to food.
This is about raising future adults who know how to feed themselves well.Coach Alex walks through how parents can shape the food environment of the home, teach kids the function of food without moralizing every bite, avoid passing down body shame, and build a healthier family culture around the table.
You’ll hear practical thoughts on picky eaters, dessert, celebration food, hunger and fullness, involving kids in cooking, and why gratitude may be one of the most important ingredients in a Christian household.
The goal is not to raise children who eat perfectly.
The goal is to raise adults who understand food, enjoy food, steward their bodies, and receive God’s provision with wisdom and gratitude.
Take the next step If this episode has you thinking, “I want this for my kids, but I’m not sure I have a healthy relationship with food myself,” start there.
Take the Faithful Fitness Assessment at faithfulfitness.co/assessment.
It will help you look honestly at your current stewardship—exercise, nutrition, habits, motivation, and faith—and identify your next step.After you complete the assessment, you’ll be able to register for our next live Faithful Fitness workshop.
This one is especially meaningful because my wife, Christin, will be joining me. She’s a registered dietitian, a mom, and someone who helps our family navigate these exact conversations in real life.
Go to faithfulfitness.co/assessment, take the assessment, and join us for the workshop.
Timestamps
00:00 — What do you want your kids to believe about food at 35?
01:05 — Faithful Family Part 2: moving from family movement to nutrition
01:36 — We’re not feeding children to become smaller adults
02:44 — Parenting nutrition is not about permanent control; it is about wisdom
06:36 — Parents control the environment; kids learn inside it
08:58 — Normal matters more than perfect
11:10 — Food does not have moral value
12:34 — Food has function: nutrients and energy
14:56 — Teach function before calories
17:00 — Children are not small dieting adults
20:30 — How you talk about your body matters
23:10 — Letting kids experience hunger and fullness
25:05 — Picky eaters, exposure, patience, and grace
28:27 — The dessert trap: when sweets become the ultimate treasure
30:03 — Celebration food should actually be celebration food
32:44 — The dinner table is about more than nutrients
34:29 — Let your kids help with food, cooking, and cleanup
38:36 — Food as an opportunity for gratitude
40:29 — What are we actually trying to raise?
43:11 — This week’s challenge: one intentional family meal
44:15 — Take the Faithful Fitness Assessment and join the live workshop
46:08 — Final encouragement: raise adults who know how to feed themselves well Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Transcribed
17 SEP 2026 · What do your kids think adults do with their bodies?
Do adults run, play, lift, explore, work, and challenge themselves—or do they mostly sit down, stare at screens, complain about being tired, and occasionally announce that they really need to start exercising again?
In Part 1 of the Faithful Family series, Coach Alex explores how parents shape their children’s relationship with movement long before they ever hand them a workout plan.Kids don’t primarily need more organized exercise. They need active families.
In this episode, Alex talks about:
- Why family culture matters more than another sports league or workout program
- How children develop physical confidence through play, exploration, strength, and challenge
- Why sports are only one expression of being physically active
- What our language about exercise teaches our children
- How to separate movement from punishment, shame, and vanity
- Why Christians need a better reason to train than simply looking better
- How strength, capability, service, and stewardship give exercise deeper meaning
- Whether children can safely lift weights
- Why it’s okay for your child to be bad at sports
- How to make activity part of ordinary family life without adding another obligation to the calendar
- The powerful example parents—and grandparents—set simply by continuing to participate
The goal isn’t to raise impressive children.It’s to help children become capable adults who see their bodies as gifts from God to use, develop, enjoy, and steward well.
TAKE YOUR NEXT STEPSometimes the best thing you can do for your family’s health isn’t to start fixing everyone else.It’s to start with yourself.
Take the Faithful Fitness Assessment to evaluate your current health, habits, and stewardship—and identify your next step.Take the assessment:
https://faithfulfitness.co/assessment
When you finish, you’ll also have the opportunity to reserve your spot for the next live Faithful Fitness Seminar, where Coach Alex and his wife Christin—a registered dietitian and fellow parent—will talk practically about building healthy habits in the middle of work, school, church, sports, picky eating, marriage, parenting, and real life. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Transcribed
10 SEP 2026 · What does it actually take to change your body—and why do so many intelligent, motivated people struggle to do what they already know they should do?
In this special episode of Faithful Fitness, Coach Alex republishes his conversation from the Rhino and the Bat podcast for a wide-ranging discussion on health, discipline, psychology, faith, suffering, community, and what it means to become 1% better daily.
But there’s another reason this conversation belongs here.Rhino and Alex come from different faith traditions.
Rhino shares during the conversation that he is Hindu; Alex is a Christian. Rather than avoiding that difference, Alex brings his Christian understanding of the body directly into the fitness conversation: we are created by God, our bodies have been entrusted to us, and health is ultimately about stewardship—not vanity, comparison, self-worship, or chasing the perfect physique.
That is part of the mission of Faithful Fitness: to put more faith into fitness while removing the confusion and vanity from it.In this conversation, Alex shares his experience living and training with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, why small changes compound into transformation, why knowledge without action changes nothing, how motivation should be used to build systems, why discipline can be developed, and why sustainable fitness is fundamentally a community project.
They also explore the relationship between physical and mental health, exercise and nutrition, gratitude, asking for help, resilience, hormone replacement therapy, entrepreneurship, parenting, sleep—and, somehow, sardines.
For the Christian listening, there is also a challenge here:Our stewardship should become a testimony.Not perfect bodies. Not performative fitness. Not obsession.But men and women whose lives increasingly demonstrate self-control, gratitude, endurance, humility, strength, and faithful care for what God has entrusted to them.
Because the question isn't simply:“How do I build a better body?”
It's:“How do I become more faithful with the body I've been given?”
And wherever you're starting, there is something you can do about where you are.
You don't have to do it alone.TAKE YOUR NEXT STEPTake the Faithful Fitness Assessment:
https://faithfulfitness.co/assessment
Your assessment will help you identify where you are right now and what may need your attention next.After completing it, reserve your spot for the Faithful Fitness Next Steps Seminar, held live on the first Wednesday of every month.
We'll help you understand what your results are telling you and turn that information into practical action.
Learn more about Faithful Fitness:
https://faithfulfitness.co/
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 — Coach’s Notes: Putting More Faith Into Fitness
5:50 — The Rhino & the Bat Interview Begins
7:51 — Living and Training With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
11:03 — The Injury That Changed Alex’s Understanding of His Body
15:36 — Why 1% Better Daily Works
20:08 — Weakness, Humility and Finding Strength Through Limitation
22:42 — Playing the Hand You’ve Been Dealt
26:46 — Why We Often Care for Others Better Than Ourselves
29:10 — Faith, Human Value and Stewardship of the Body
31:57 — Knowing Isn’t Doing: Why Information Doesn’t Change You
34:58 — Motivation Is Overrated—Build Systems Instead
38:26 — Why Bad Habits Are So Difficult to Change
45:21 — The Science and Practice of Building Discipline
50:43 — Can You Actually Reinvent Yourself?
52:17 — Where Should Someone Start Their Fitness Journey?
54:37 — The Biggest Mistake People Make When Getting Healthy
58:27 — How to Navigate Conflicting Fitness Advice
1:02:06 — Why Fitness Is a Community Project
1:06:05 — Coaching, Accountability and the Power of Personal Connection
1:11:43 — What Matters More: Exercise or Nutrition?
1:14:46 — Physical Health and Mental Health Are Deeply Connected
1:16:32 — Why Mental Health Struggles May Be Increasing
1:20:08 — Cardiovascular Fitness and Emotional Resilience
1:21:38 — Gratitude, Psychology and Well-Being
1:26:42 — When Is It Time to Ask for Professional Help?
1:29:02 — One Habit Everyone Should Practice: Do the Hard Thing
1:29:46 — What Alex Has Changed His Mind About: Hormone Replacement Therapy
1:32:05 — Family, Business, Calling and Learning to Say No
1:36:04 — The Hardest Lesson of Entrepreneurship
1:36:43 — Passion vs. Discipline
1:37:45 — Rapid Fire: Sleep, Training, Food, Books and More
1:41:56 — Alex Makes the Case for Sardines
1:44:59 — What Should You Do Tomorrow If You Feel Stuck?
1:45:17 — What Does It Mean to Live a Better Life?
1:46:42 — The One Thing Alex Hopes You Remember Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Transcribed
3 SEP 2026 · What does it mean to become better—and better for what?
In this episode of the Faithful Fitness Podcast, Coach Alex Van Houten sits down with builder, entrepreneur, and fitness advocate Brock Holyoak for a conversation about action, discipline, fear, fitness, personal responsibility, and becoming more capable.
Brock has a strong bias toward action: stop waiting until you know everything, start with what you have, learn by doing, and allow experience to shape you along the way. From building construction companies to training his body and developing his own fitness philosophy, his message is simple: most people already know enough to begin.
The problem is that they often substitute consuming information for taking action.That creates some valuable questions for anyone who has spent too much time researching the perfect workout, diet, business strategy, or next step while doing very little with what they already know.
But this conversation also exposes a deeper question at the heart of Faithful Fitness:What is all that improvement for?Strength is useful.
Discipline is useful. Confidence is useful. Competence is useful. Becoming capable of doing difficult things is good.But none of those things can determine what deserves our devotion.
Throughout the episode, Alex and Brock discuss:
- Why action often teaches what information cannot
- The danger of waiting until you have every piece before you start building
- How fitness can build competence and confidence
- The difference between perseverance and stubbornness
- Why fear often becomes smaller once you actually confront it
- The importance of keeping promises to yourself
- How difficult physical challenges can expand your sense of what you're capable of
- Why passion and desire can create tremendous drive
- The limitations of making “the best version of yourself” the ultimate goal
For the Christian, self-improvement is not the destination. It is a tool.Your body, health, strength, time, abilities, and opportunities have been entrusted to you by God. The goal isn't merely to become stronger, tougher, leaner, richer, or more impressive. The goal is to become increasingly capable of faithfully using what God has given you for His glory and the good of the people around you.
So perhaps the question isn't simply:Am I getting better?
Perhaps the better question is:Am I becoming more faithful?
If you already know the next healthy step you need to take, take it. Go for the walk. Lift the weight. Prepare the meal. Get to bed. Make the change.You probably don't need the whole map before you begin.But as you become more capable, keep asking where that capability is ultimately pointed.
Want to understand where you currently stand in your own health and stewardship?
Take the Faithful Fitness Assessment and evaluate yourself across the four foundations of Integrity, Grit, Growth, and Awe.
Start here:https://faithfulfitness.co/assessmentMake the most of the body God's given you.
Train hard—but pray harder. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Transcribed
27 AUG 2026 · You don’t get extra credit for suffering.
There is a difference between discomfort that should be endured and suffering that deserves treatment.
In this final episode of Menopause in the Light, Coach Alex brings the entire series together by tackling some of the most confusing—and heavily marketed—parts of menopause. Hormone therapy. Testosterone. Sleep. Sexual health. Peptides. GLP-1 medications. Expensive hormone panels. “Bioidentical” treatments. Optimization culture.
The goal isn’t to tell every woman what treatment she needs. It’s to help you become a more informed participant in your own healthcare, ask better questions, and recognize when faithful stewardship means doing the hard thing—and when it means getting help.
In this episode, Coach Alex discusses:
- Why menopausal hormone therapy is neither the devil nor the savior
- What current evidence says about estrogen and menopausal symptoms
- Why route, dose, medical history, and individual risk matter
- Why many women probably don’t need expensive hormone panels
- What “bioidentical hormones” actually means
- The limited but legitimate role of testosterone therapy
- Why painful sex should not simply be accepted as part of aging
- Sleep disruption, hot flashes, insomnia, and sleep apnea
- Mood changes during perimenopause and menopause
- What to know before jumping into peptide therapy
- GLP-1 medications and the importance of preserving muscle
- How to evaluate the next supplement, hormone, device, injection, or wellness trend somebody tries to sell you
- Why health data should serve your life—not become your life
- When it’s time to stop managing symptoms alone and talk with a qualified healthcare professional
One of the central questions of the episode is simple: What problem am I actually trying to solve?
Before adding another supplement, test, medication, protocol, wearable, or optimization strategy, get clear about the problem first. And through all four episodes of Menopause in the Light, remember:Your body is changing.You are not broken.Train it.Nourish it.Get help when help is warranted.And never confuse your physical health with your worth.
As Coach Alex closes the series:
“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.”
There may still be decades of serving, leading, mentoring, traveling, building, teaching, loving, training, praying, giving, and becoming ahead of you.
Your Next Faithful Step-
-If this series helped you understand menopause better but left you wondering:
“What do I personally need to work on first?”
Start with the Faithful Fitness Assessment.The assessment evaluates your health and stewardship through four Faithful Fitness anchors:Integrity • Grit • Growth • Awe
You’ll receive a personalized report identifying strengths, gaps, and areas that may deserve your attention next.And your $7.99 assessment also includes your seat in the next live Faithful Fitness workshop with Coach Alex, where you can better understand your results, ask questions, and identify your next faithful step.
Take the Faithful Fitness Assessment:
https://faithfulfitness.co/assessment
Because you probably don’t need more random information.You need enough clarity about your situation to make a wise decision about what comes next.
Train Hard. Pray Harder. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Transcribed
20 AUG 2026 · What the Faithful 5K Proved: It’s Time for the Body of Christ to Get in Shape
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus…” — Hebrews 12:1–2
The inaugural Faithful 5K is over—but I don’t think what happened in Greenbrier was really about running 3.1 miles.We had 165 people register, families running together, churches serving side by side, businesses investing in their community, volunteers pouring themselves out, and virtual racers participating across seven different states.
And underneath all of it was something deeper:God is doing something in His Church that has to do with the body—both our physical bodies and the Body of Christ.
In this episode, I’m taking a short break from the Menopause in the Light series to reflect on what the Faithful 5K taught me about fitness, faith, community, endurance, and why I believe it’s time for the Bride of Christ to get in better shape.
We’ll talk about:
- Why people are hungry for something deeper than sets, reps, macros, and aesthetics
- What happened when multiple churches and Christian organizations chose to serve together without needing their own name at the center
- Why the Faithful Cross became one of the most meaningful parts of the morning
- What it means to recognize your body as something through which you live your calling
- Why Christian fitness was never supposed to be an isolated pursuit
- The unexpected power of an out-and-back race where runners continually encouraged one another
- Why your body does not have to be impressive to glorify God
- What this event reminded me about the mission of Faithful Fitness
And I’ll tell you about Mr. Roy.
When we first started working together more than five years ago, Roy had battled heart disease, multiple surgeries, pain, and a body that made something as simple as walking my driveway difficult.Saturday, he finished a 5K.
He finished last. He refused rides. Men went back onto the course to walk beside him. Police stayed with him. His family waited. Racers who had finished long before stayed at the finish line because they wanted to see him cross it.
And when someone asked how he was able to keep going, his answer was basically:Get a good coach. Walk with God. And be stubborn enough not to stop.That’ll preach.
Because Hebrews doesn’t tell us, “Let me run with endurance.”
It says:“Let us run with endurance.”
Maybe you’re crushing it right now.Turn around and encourage somebody behind you. Maybe you’re struggling. Keep going. But either way, stop trying to do this fitness thing alone.
Your Next Faithful Step -
If you want to get honest about where you are and identify your next step, take the Faithful Fitness Assessment. https://faithfulfitness.co/assessment
You’ll assess yourself across the four areas we use in Faithful Fitness:Integrity. Grit. Growth. Awe.
The goal isn’t a perfect score. It’s clarity. And completing the assessment will also reserve your place for our upcoming LIVE Faithful Fitness seminar on September 2nd, where we’ll continue this conversation together.Take the Faithful Fitness Assessment and find your next faithful step. Make the most of the body God’s given you.
Train Hard. Pray Harder.—Coach Alex Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Transcribed
13 AUG 2026 · When your body begins changing during perimenopause and menopause, the fitness industry's answer is usually predictable:
Eat less.
Cut the carbs.
Skip breakfast.
Fast longer.
Do more cardio.
But what if eating less isn't actually the strategy your body needs?
In Part 3 of Menopause in the Light, Coach Alex Van Houten turns to nutrition—and challenges the idea that midlife health is simply about making the number on the scale smaller.Menopause changes physiology, but it doesn't erase physiology.
Energy balance still matters. But so do muscle mass, protein intake, sleep, training, insulin sensitivity, food quality, recovery, and the hormonal changes influencing where and how your body stores fat.The goal isn't just weight loss.The goal is to build and maintain a woman who is strong, capable, metabolically healthy, resilient, well-nourished, and ready to serve.
In this episode, Coach Alex breaks down:
- Why dramatically cutting calories can backfire during menopause
- The difference between weight loss and improving body composition
- Why protein becomes increasingly important as women age
- A practical strategy for getting enough protein throughout the day
- Why carbohydrates aren't the enemy
- The difference between food and fuel
- How whole, nutrient-dense foods can simplify your nutrition
- Fiber, calcium, vitamin D, healthy fats, and bone health
- Intermittent fasting and when it may—or may not—serve you
- Why breakfast can be a powerful opportunity for better nutrition
- Alcohol, sleep, and taking an honest inventory of your habits
- Creatine and supplements during menopause
- Iron considerations during perimenopause
- Why you should be skeptical of products promising to “balance your hormones”
- How husbands and families can support women without becoming the “food police”
- A biblical perspective on food, gratitude, self-control, and stewardship
Coach Alex also offers a simple framework for building meals:
Start with protein.
Add plants.
Add fuel according to your activity.
Pay attention to your fats.
Nothing exotic.
Nothing magical.
Just a repeatable strategy that can still work next year.
As 1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.”
Food isn't God.Food isn't the enemy. It's provision—and something we are called to receive with gratitude and steward with wisdom.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
If you're navigating perimenopause or menopause and know it's time to make a change, Coach Alex wants to help you identify where you are now and what deserves your attention first.
Go to: faithfulfitness.co/menopause
Complete the Faithful Fitness Assessment and claim your seat for the upcoming live seminar.You'll learn how to take your current starting point and build a practical plan for getting meaningful results over the next 30 days—without miracle supplements, crash diets, or internet gimmicks.
Take the assessment and reserve your seat: faithfulfitness.co/menopause
Next week: Menopause in the Light, Part 4 — hormone replacement therapy, sleep, sexual health, supplements, peptides, medical care, and how to know when it's time to ask for more help.
Train hard. Pray harder. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Transcribed
6 AUG 2026 · Your body is changing—but it is not broken.
In Part 2 of Menopause in the Light, Coach Alex examines one of the most powerful tools women have for navigating perimenopause and menopause: training.
There is no magical “menopause workout,” and the fundamental laws of physiology have not suddenly stopped working. Squats still work. Progressive overload still works. Cardiovascular exercise still matters. But as a woman moves through this season, her training priorities may need to change.The goal is not to punish your body, desperately fight aging, or force your body to look the way it did at 27.
The goal is capacity: the strength and endurance to work, serve, play, travel, love others, and say yes to whatever God places in front of you.In
This EpisodeCoach Alex discusses:
- Why strength training should become a priority during perimenopause and menopause
- The difference between merely exercising and creating a meaningful training stimulus
- Why women are still allowed—and often need—to lift challenging weights
- How progressive overload helps preserve muscle, strength, function, and independence
- Why walking alone is not a complete bone-strengthening strategy
- How resistance training and appropriate impact can help protect bone health
- The importance of maintaining power, speed, balance, and the ability to react
- Why cardiovascular exercise still matters during and after menopause
- Whether women in menopause should perform high-intensity interval training
- Why walking remains one of the most valuable forms of daily movement
- How to distinguish laziness from genuine under-recovery
- What a practical week of training might look like
- How husbands and families can help women protect the time required to care for their bodies
- Why small beginnings still matter when pain, fear, or years of inactivity make training feel overwhelming
The Fundamentals Remain, but the Priorities ChangeA strong menopause training plan should help a woman:
- Build and preserve muscle
- Load and protect her bones
- Maintain cardiovascular capacity
- Preserve power and balance
- Move consistently throughout the day
- Recover well enough to repeat the process
That may include two or three strength-training sessions each week, regular cardiovascular work, daily walking, appropriate intensity, bone-loading activity, and intentional recovery.The exact schedule will differ from woman to woman.
The principle matters more than the calendar: begin where you are, train intelligently, and gradually ask your body to become more capable.A Deeper Reason to TrainTraining through menopause is not about worshiping the body. It is about preparing it.Your children may still need you.
Your grandchildren may need you. Your husband, church, family, and community may need you. God may call you into work at 60 that you could not have imagined at 40.The goal is not simply to take up less space in the world. The goal is to become strong enough to live out your calling.
As Proverbs 31 describes, a faithful woman “dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.” This is a picture of a woman prepared for her work—capable, strong, and ready.Every season of womanhood deserves intentional stewardship. Not only the easy seasons. Not only the young seasons.Get strong. Keep moving. Challenge your heart. Load your bones. Recover intelligently.
Your body adapts to what you ask of it—so make sure you ask something of it.
Continue Your Faithful Fitness JourneyGet the Faithful Fitness BookBegin building a biblical foundation for health, training, discipline, and stewardship with Coach Alex’s 40-day devotional.
Get the book:
https://faithfulfitnessdevo.com/
Join the Faithful Fitness CorpsTrain inside an intentional Christian community with exercise resources, program-building tools, coaching, challenges, encouragement, accountability, and people committed to becoming stronger together.
Join the Corps:
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Menopause Assessment and Jumpstart SeminarReceive the menopause assessment and automatically reserve your place in the live
Jumpstart Seminar designed to help you better understand this season and determine your next steps.
Get started:
https://faithfulfitness.co/menopause Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Transcribed
30 JUL 2026 · Menopause is one of the largest physiological transitions in a woman’s adult life—yet many women are expected to navigate it quietly, without understanding what is happening or receiving meaningful support.
In Part 1 of Menopause in the Light, Coach Alex begins a new four-part solo series exploring perimenopause, menopause, and what it means to faithfully steward a woman’s body through a changing season.
Drawing from more than 20 years of coaching women through peri- and postmenopause, Alex addresses the painful question underneath many women’s frustrations:
“What is wrong with me?”
The answer is clear:Your body is changing.
You are not broken.In this episode, Alex explains the difference between perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause; explores why symptoms and severity can vary so widely between women; and names some of the physical, emotional, relational, and metabolic changes that may occur.He also challenges two harmful extremes: dismissing every symptom as “just getting older” and blaming every difficulty after 40 on hormones.
Menopause is not a disease—but that does not mean women should quietly endure symptoms that deserve attention, adaptation, or medical care.You’ll also hear why a woman’s story after 50 does not have to become a story of decline. Strength, muscle, cardiovascular fitness, confidence, wisdom, intimacy, service, and meaningful purpose are still available in this season.
This episode also includes an important message for husbands and family members: compassion is not pity, and the women you love should not have to walk through this transition alone or in the dark.
IN THIS EPISODE
- What perimenopause and menopause actually mean
- Why menopause is a major transition, not a personal failure
- Common physical, emotional, and relational challenges
- Why symptoms can differ dramatically between women
- The danger of blaming everything on hormones
- Why unusual symptoms and abnormal bleeding deserve medical attention
- The potential freedoms and gains of postmenopausal life
- How husbands can offer compassion and practical support
- Why adaptation is wisdom—not failure
- How women can enter this season with agency and intention
SCRIPTURE FROM THE EPISODE
“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.”
—Proverbs 31:25
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
—Ecclesiastes 3:1
COMING NEXTIn Part 2 of Menopause in the Light, Coach Alex addresses exercise during perimenopause and postmenopause—including muscle, strength, cardiovascular fitness, bone density, high-intensity exercise, walking, and recovery.
This is not about desperately holding onto youth.It is about preparing your body for what God may ask you to do with the decades ahead.
NEED HELP NAVIGATING THIS SEASON?
Email Coach Alex personally at:coachalex@faithfulfitness.co
Tell him what has changed, what you have been wrestling with, what you have already tried, and where you currently feel stuck.
JOIN THE FAITHFUL FITNESS CORPS
You were not meant to steward your body alone.
Join an intentional community of men and women working to make the most of every season God gives them:https://faithfulfitness.co/premiumjoin
Your body is changing.
You are not broken.
And there is still a whole lot of good work ahead of you.
Train hard. Pray harder. Put more faith in your fitness. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Supporters Club
13 JUL 2022 · Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Supporters Club
28 JUL 2021 · Speaker - Alex VanHouten
Recorded LIVE - NLC Greenbrier
Reading:
Ruth 1-4
John 13-17
1 Timothy 6:11-21
For Memory:
“God said to me 'My grace is sufficient for you for my strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will gladly boast in my weaknesses so that the power of Christ will rest on me."
- 2 Corinthians 12:9
“But you, oh man of God, pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith.
- 1 Timothy 6: 11-12
Questions worth praying through:
What does it mean to be BOAZ STRONG (of significant effect)? Are you strong like that? If not, how can become stronger in that way?
What phrases/words do you need to say more often and to whom?
What is sitting in the back of your mind that keeps you from blessing your friends and family? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Supporters Club
14 JUL 2021 · Solomon and Fidelity
Speaker: Alex VanHouten
Reading:
1 Kings 3 and 4 and 9-11
Ecclesiastes 7 and 11:5-10 and 12:11-14
Proverbs 3, 5, and 31
Matthew 6
For Memory:
“When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil”
- Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.”
- Matthew 6:33
Questions worth praying through:
How can we become wiser?
How do we keep ourselves from foolishness? Was wisdom enough for Solomon?
What is distracting you from seeking God’s kingdom? What can you do about that?
Recorded live at NLC Greenbrier Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Supporters Club
30 JUN 2021 · Speaker - Alex VanHouten
Record Live - NLC Greenbrier
Song Referenced in Teaching (Flooded Earth)
"Like a drowning man to a sinking ship, I cling to the things that I know will kill me" -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShtWiSMbE1Q
Manitou incline - http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MK8jwtsS3OM/UCxWHJKn4bI/AAAAAAAAANI/JSk8PCir5ns/s1600/manitou+1.jpg
Reading:
Genesis 25:19-34
Genesis Chapters 27-32
Galatians 6:1-9
Hebrews 10:35-39
Philippians Chapters 1-4* (*emphasis 3)
For Memory:
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
- Galatians 6: 2-3
Questions worth praying through:
What is the difference between stubbornness and perseverance in your life?
What does it mean that God blessed Jacob and not Esau?
Read Genesis 32:31. What has been the cost of holding onto God in your life? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Supporters Club
16 JUN 2021 · Record Live - NLC Greenbrier.
Speaker - Alex VanHouten
Reading:
Joshua Chapters 1-7 and 14
Psalms 91 “The Psalm Of Warriors”
John 8
Romans 5
2 Timothy Chapters 1 and 2
For Memory:
"He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will abide in the shadow of the almighty"
- Psalms 91:1
"We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame."
- Romans 5: 3-5
Questions worth praying through:
What does "courage" meant to you?
What do you believe are your most courageous acts?
What do you need to "take heart" about in your life right now?
Has your courage ever failed you?
What happened?
What courageous person do you admire?
What makes them courageous?
G.K Chesterton on courage:
“Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. 'He that will lose his life, the same shall save it,' is not a piece of mysticism for saints and heroes. It is a piece of everyday advice for sailors or mountaineers. It might be printed in an Alpine guide or a drill book. This paradox is the whole principle of courage; even of quite earthly or brutal courage. A man cut off by the sea may save his life if we will risk it on the precipice.
He can only get away from death by continually stepping within an inch of it. A soldier surrounded by enemies, if he is to cut his way out, needs to combine a strong desire for living with a strange carelessness about dying. He must not merely cling to life, for then he will be a coward, and will not escape. He must not merely wait for death, for then he will be a suicide, and will not escape. He must seek his life in a spirit of furious indifference to it; he must desire life like water and yet drink death like wine” Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Supporters Club
2 JUN 2021 · These bible study remarks were recorded live at NLC Greenbrier on June 1st 2021
Speaker - Alex VanHouten
coachal@definingdadbod.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Supporters Club
21 NOV 2019 · Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Supporters Club
14 NOV 2019 · Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Supporters Club
31 OCT 2019 · Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faithful-fitness-with-coach-alex-vanhouten--5150768/support.
Welcome to Faithful Fitness—discipleship for the body. Coach Alex here. This isn’t about chasing aesthetics or quick fixes. It’s about becoming a better steward of the body God has entrusted...
show more
Welcome to Faithful Fitness—discipleship for the body.
Coach Alex here. This isn’t about chasing aesthetics or quick fixes.
It’s about becoming a better steward of the body God has entrusted to you—through truth, discipline, and daily obedience. Each episode sits at the intersection of faith, physiology, and formation—where Scripture and science work together to build strength that actually lasts.
What You’ll Find Here:
💪 Training & Nutrition That Works
Simple, effective strategies rooted in exercise science—not trends.
📖 Biblical Stewardship & Identity
Learn what it means to honor God with your body in a culture that treats it casually.
🎙️ Conversations That Sharpen You
Interviews with leaders in health, performance, and faith—applied through a Christian lens.
🔥 Challenges & Community
Join structured seasons like Faithful40 and Shred—where growth happens with others, not alone.
Your body isn’t separate from your faith.
It’s one of the primary places your faith is lived out. “You are not your own… therefore honor God with your body.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 If you’re tired of starting over…
If you know you’re capable of more…
If you’re ready to build discipline that actually sticks— You’re in the right place. Train hard. Pray harder. Get 1% better—daily.
📌 Join the Community: https://faithfulfitness.co/premium
📘 Get the Devotional: https://faithfulfitnessdevo.com
#FaithfulFitness #AlexVanHouten #FaithfulFitnessPodcast #ChristianHealth #BiblicalStewardship #TrainHardPrayHarder
show less
Coach Alex here. This isn’t about chasing aesthetics or quick fixes.
It’s about becoming a better steward of the body God has entrusted to you—through truth, discipline, and daily obedience. Each episode sits at the intersection of faith, physiology, and formation—where Scripture and science work together to build strength that actually lasts.
What You’ll Find Here:
💪 Training & Nutrition That Works
Simple, effective strategies rooted in exercise science—not trends.
📖 Biblical Stewardship & Identity
Learn what it means to honor God with your body in a culture that treats it casually.
🎙️ Conversations That Sharpen You
Interviews with leaders in health, performance, and faith—applied through a Christian lens.
🔥 Challenges & Community
Join structured seasons like Faithful40 and Shred—where growth happens with others, not alone.
Your body isn’t separate from your faith.
It’s one of the primary places your faith is lived out. “You are not your own… therefore honor God with your body.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 If you’re tired of starting over…
If you know you’re capable of more…
If you’re ready to build discipline that actually sticks— You’re in the right place. Train hard. Pray harder. Get 1% better—daily.
📌 Join the Community: https://faithfulfitness.co/premium
📘 Get the Devotional: https://faithfulfitnessdevo.com
#FaithfulFitness #AlexVanHouten #FaithfulFitnessPodcast #ChristianHealth #BiblicalStewardship #TrainHardPrayHarder
Information
| Author | Alexander VanHouten |
| Organization | Coach Alex VanHouten |
| Categories | Self-Improvement , Christianity , Fitness |
| Website | www.spreaker.com |
| faithfulfitness@betterdaily.live |
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