2008 Top Bods - Matthew Ingalls - Faith & Fitness Magazine

Read time: 5 minutes

Updated: April 15th, 2018

Matthew Ingalls
Age: 21
University: Anderson University
Year: Senior
Degree you are pursuing: Christian Ministries
Height: 5’ 8” Weight: 145 lbs.
Faith & Fitness Magazine: Do you eat any fast food? What is the one treat you can’t resist?
Matt: I’m not much for fast food. I can’t stand grease. Candy on the other hand, I have a real sweet tooth. I eat gummy bears by the bag full.
F&F: How careful are you at counting calories?

Matt: When I’m running 60 or 70 miles a week I don’t pay too much attention. I just stay away from fried food and grease. Other than that I eat whatever comes my way. At those times I’m probably downing 4,000 calories a day.
F&F: Clearly you are in peak condition. How long have you been running? What is it that makes you want to exercise?
Matt: I’ve been running since I was 12. It’s been an obsession. I love to work out and challenge my body. In fact the challenge is what draws me to exercise. I’ve just recently gotten into some extreme hiking and the challenge of a mountain or the backsides of a national park draw me. I really understand what the call of the wild is… which is often what gets me out the door for a run.

F&F: So have you found anyone to share your interest in running and fitness?
Matt: I’m actually engaged and my fiancée is a runner too. It helps a lot. She motivates me to look good for her and because I genuinely enjoy working out with her.
F&F: What is your attitude about fitness and what role does body-image play in it?
Matt: I think being in shape affects my confidence levels, but I try not to put too much emphasis on it. I really try to perceive my fitness as a spiritual endeavor to maintain the temple God has entrusted me with. I also try not to be legalistic about my image… there’s a difference between being healthy and being a health-nazi.
F&F: Well beyond looking good, what are the benefits for you of living an active lifestyle, eating healthy and practicing regular strength training? Also, what does it take to live healthy on campus?
Matt: I just feel better. Energy is so much higher when I’m working out. Besides, I’ve learned so much about my self through athletic training. I know that there are difficulties and life and for the most part they’re worth working through. There are mountains out there that can be climbed and difficult trails that can be traversed. Those aren’t lessons that are limited to athletics and fitness.
F&F: For your particular lifestyle what kind of workouts do you do?
Matt: I try not to get into too much of a routine. I like variety. My one staple is running. I run about an hour a day or so and I typically add any number of other activities. I love sports. I love to hike, play ultimate Frisbee, basketball, baseball, whatever comes my way. I sometimes throw in some weight training. I always lift less weight and more reps. I don’t really have a desire to build up muscle, I’d rather train the muscles I have to withstand stress for a long period of time.
F&F: Plenty of college students across the country excel in academics, social life and exercise. Personal spiritual development though usually isn’t a high priority for college students. Is it for you? How so?
Matt: Personal spiritual development is the only important pursuit of my lifestyle. Everything else must fall within that pursuit or be considered irrelevant. I train my body because it has spiritual payoffs. I’m going to college because it is preparing the mind God gave me to change the world around me. In reality faith is the only pursuit, there are not other priorities.
F&F: Do people see your faith in Christ as readily as they see the peek condition of your physical body?
Matt: That’s my sincere desire. It is difficult to put myself in someone else’s eyes. I screw up a lot so I’m sure there are people out there that aren’t particularly enamored with my faith. But I also have seen God produce fruit in my life and I know that people have seen God in moments of my humility. So I take some comfort in those moments.
F&F: Share a bit about how you live out your faith among your friends, those with whom you work and others with whom you come in contact.
Matt: My friends and I are all committed Christians. We feed off each other, truly sharpening each other by journeying faith together. We do that through small groups that delve into he spiritual issues that each of us our dealing with. But where we begin to truly try and live our faith is in our intentional visiting of our campus’ neighbors. We’ve started a ministry here that draws traditional students out of their institutional bubble and out into the hurting neighborhoods. We visit every home we can with the intention of sharing the gospel through our conversation, service, and prayer. We’ve done things like rake leaves, clean gutters, renovate decaying bathrooms, build patios, and even constructing a wheel chair ramp. We’ve discovered here that there are many ways to share the gospel. We call this ministry Neighbors.
F&F: What are your goals and where will they take you?
Matt: I have two real goals: love God and love people. At the moment I plan to seek opportunities for ministry in a local church and maybe coaching track in the area as well. I also plan to enter a seminary in the fall to start working on an M. Div.