A parent's guide to keeping your missionary healthy

By Kristin Wise, certified personal trainer & missionary mom · Updated June 2026

You can't be there to make sure they eat well and move every day — but you have more influence than you think. Here's what actually helps a missionary stay healthy, from someone who has sent one out and trained hundreds.

Every missionary parent worries about the same things: Are they eating real food? Are they getting any exercise? Are they sleeping? You can't control the day-to-day from home, but you can set your missionary up to succeed and quietly support the habits that keep them well.

Before they leave: build the habit

The single best predictor of whether a missionary exercises in the field is whether they already had a routine before they left. A missionary who has never worked out won't suddenly start at 6:30 a.m. in a foreign country. Use the months before departure to make movement normal:

• Establish a simple morning bodyweight routine together so it's already a habit, not a new skill to learn under stress.
• Teach a handful of basic bodyweight movements with good form so they train safely on their own.
• Talk about energy, not appearance. The goal is stamina for the work, better mood, and better sleep.

What you can do while they serve

Your influence shifts from hands-on to encouraging. The most effective things are small and consistent:

• Ask the right questions. In weekly messages, “What did you do for exercise this week?” lands better than “Are you gaining weight?” One invites; the other shames.
• Celebrate consistency, not numbers. Praise showing up, not the scale.
• Send encouragement, not pressure. A quick note that you're proud they're taking care of themselves goes a long way on a hard week.

The food question

Missionary eating is often the real culprit behind low energy and weight gain — irregular schedules, members' generous (and heavy) meals, cheap convenience food, and stress. You can help by encouraging a few sustainable anchors: protein at most meals, water over soda, fruit and vegetables when available, and not skipping breakfast before a long day. We cover this in depth in how to avoid the “missionary 30.”

Train alongside them

One of the most powerful things you can do is do it with them. When a parent at home is doing the same workout on the same week, exercise stops being a chore and becomes a shared connection across the distance — something to talk about in weekly messages, a way to feel close while apart.

Not ready to commit? Do the free 7-Day Plank & Pray Challenge together first.