The Road to Fitness
Healthy living takes a lot of mental, physical, and spiritual work. It requires work some people are unwilling to do, while others take it one day at a time in order to focus on a greater end result…a healthier body, mind, and spirit. When we think of healthy living the first thing that pops into our heads are daily visits to the fitness center or forcing ourselves to eat foods that are unappealing. Not to mention trying to find ways to manage stress and get a good night’s sleep. Whether you believe it or not, all of these elements together build the foundation of a healthy lifestyle.
State of Mind
I’m sure you’re asking yourself "where do I begin? How do I start to live this healthy lifestyle?" It begins mentally. You have to prepare your mind for the changes you want to see physically and spiritually. You can’t allow negative thoughts to take over your mind as a distraction, preventing you from the ultimate goal of living healthy. You've got to focus on the results you want out of this process. And yes, it’s a process…a life changing process. Our minds and bodies work together, sometimes sending deceptive signals which prompt negative thoughts that we really don’t need in our lives. These signals trigger us to intake all kinds of foods into our body without any thought or control. We give in to our mind as it tells us to eat different foods we think are good for us, but we know are really not. We just give into temptation. It might taste good going down but the damage we do in the long run is just not worth it! As humans, we have to make conscious decisions and produce positive thoughts to control the body to consume good foods that will be beneficial to our growth.
Meditation is used to train the mind. It’s like exercising a muscle that has never been worked before. A technique called “Mindfulness” is used to bring awareness and total enlightenment by focusing on a thought, activity, or even an object to bring forth positive thinking. This technique causes an overall change in the body with many benefits;
- Lower blood pressure
- Deeper relaxation
- Lower heart rate
- Less anxiety
- Slower respiratory rate
- Less stress
- Improved blood circulation
- More feelings of well-being
This technique known as Meditation (Mindfulness) has been used since the early 19th century in numerous religious traditions. Its use has spread across the world to many cultures and is still practiced throughout society today. If you've never experienced the power of meditation, it’s a great place for beginners (or anyone who wants to try something new) to start. Once you gain control over your mind everything else will fall in place. I guarantee you will feel happier in your spirit as well...I can just see that big grin on your face now!
FitnessNow that we've helped to get your mind right, let’s work on getting your body in the same shape.
Fitness is a state of being physically fit and refers to your own optimal health and overall well-being. Being fit not only means physical health, but mental health as well. It's a definition of health that includes smart eating and active living which are both fundamental to fitness. It's not just about how you look in tight-fitted clothing, how much weight you can lift, or how big your muscles get. This is fine and dandy, but we understand that there is more to it than that. We must consider the broader picture of fitness and some of the aspects that get us to being physically fit.
We typically use the following elements of fitness regardless of the activity we are doing at the time;
- Balance
- Agility
- Coordination
- Cardiovascular Endurance
- Muscular Strength
- Flexibility
- Speed
For added benefit, be make sure you mix it up - make it challenging enough for optimal results. Your heart will love you, and your mind & body with thank you for it.