Real Life Fitness

This stuff Makes Sense!

Fitness is a way of life, not just a way to work out. Therefore, it should compliment your life, not complicate it. A simple way to view life fitness is the analogy of a merry-go-round. Start it spinning with a little push and you are on your way to total well being!

MERRY-GO-ROUND

Every rung of our merry-go-round symbolizes a different aspect of fitness. It does not matter which one you choose for the initial push. Instead, it is more important to get started in the right direction.

The human body is essentially comprised of matter or energy that is constantly changing for better or worse. You are either creating or destroying health. That is why it is crucial to stay on the right track. Think about it. If you start to work out or eat healthy and then get discouraged and stop simply because of a lack of immediate improvement; it would be like pushing the merry-go-round in one direction only to stop and push it the other way. If you repeat this process over and over; going on and off and a workout program or healthy eating plan is like pushing the merry-go-round first one way then the other. After a while you would be exhausted! What a waste of energy! However, if you give it a small push in one direction and then reach for another rung, the merry-go-round increases in speed. This makes it easier on you because it has built up its own momentum.

Again, every rung symbolizes a different aspect of fitness. However, they are all connected and spaced evenly in order to keep the merry-go-round balanced. The obvious rungs are exercise and healthy eating habits. The not-so-obvious rungs are relaxation and stress control, proper breathing patterns, adequate sleep, sufficient water consumption and a positive mental attitude.

Now, exercise is very important, but a mistake that a lot of people make is to take on so much that it wears them out too much and gets discouraging. Taking five minutes throughout the day in the beginning, although not an ideal work out; might be better than forcing an hour and getting discouraged. By starting at a comfortable level, you are establishing a pattern that will enable you to rise to a higher level of fitness. Working your way up, you will be better prepared to stick to a routine and see results.

Although eating healthy is not new news; there is an easier way to do it. Instead of denying your body the food it does not need, simply add more of the healthy food it does need. Your body will eventually crave what it needs for good health and then it will be easier to give up the junk.

Relaxation is essential for personal fitness because it reduces the stress that brings out toxins in your system and holds on to body fat. When you get a crick in your neck or complain about your shoulders feeling tight, what you are really feeling is a toxic build-up in your muscles that, if left untreated, can make you sick. Practicing various methods of relaxation will help to switch your autonomic nervous system from survival mode to a “thriving” one. It will help prevent ill health.

As you may know, by improving your breathing pattern, you can reduce the level of stress and actually lose body fat? It’s true. Within seconds, deep breathing can change the chemistry of every cell in your body! A great way to learn to breath deeper is to take up Yoga. In fact, proper breathing is the first thing you learn!

Along with everything else, getting a good nights sleep is very important. It is not so much the amount but the quality of sleep that matters. The hormones required for staying youthful and metabolizing body fat are produced and/or released during deep sleep. If you receive quality rest; you will have a higher quality of energy when you are active.

A positive attitude will give you endurance in improving health and fitness. Thoughts are the blueprints for your subconscious to manifest your own reality. Try concentrating on good health and fitness as opposed to not getting sick and loosing weight. Think of fitness in terms of treating yourself better for life.

The last “rung” refers to the amount of water your body requires to function at the best of it’s ability. By replacing other beverages with water whenever possible, toxins will be flushed out of your system and your metabolism will be better prepared to burn fat. If you are not drinking enough water you might get a headache or actually start to feel hungry and tired. This is your body’s way of letting you know that it needs something - so listen! Instead of taking an aspirin or eating something, try drinking a glass of water. Then wait 15 minutes. If it is water that you needed, your headache and hunger will go away. An adult needs between .5 and 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight a day; depending on the amount you loose during strenuous exercise, body temperature and consumption of salt or diuretics such as coffee and alcohol.