What is life without health? – Part 2
Above Image by Lightspring/Shutterstock.com
In this article I will be continuing to share my fitness philosophy to help others embark on their own path of optimisation. In my own journey, I have learned that health, nutrition, fitness and our mindset are all intrinsically connected.
How many times have you set yourself a new challenge only to have thought you wouldn’t make it and by perseverance, you somehow managed to get there? We must remember to set ourselves realistic goals that are still challenging and that allow us to then set new ones once they have been achieved.
There was a time when I hardly did any exercise at all and I felt fatigued most of the time. I found it difficult to get started and I would find other distractions to avoid committing to changing my routine. My challenge was to incorporate a workout that could fit into my schedule two to three times a week. I accomplished this by gradually building this in by starting small. So, once a night for fifteen minutes and gradually increasing this to thirty minutes, once a week. I found myself beginning to feel better within and my endurance was starting to improve as was my motivation to continue.
I was starting to realise that exercise was a way of paying homage to my body as it also stimulated my mind. It wasn’t just the physical act of engaging the muscles; it was the willpower and the mental strength it took to keep going and to reach the end.
I realised one should not ever underestimate the positive impact that exercise could have on the mind. Have you ever felt great feelings of frustration, irritation or just the stress of not being able to influence or change a situation? I’m sure I am not alone with such thoughts. It is said that if you allow someone or something to anger you, then that controls you, as anger burns the hottest at its own core.
On my path to self-improvement; learning to redirect energy positively was key. I began to use my workouts as a tool to aid me to do this. For example, when a situation became challenging, instead of feeling angry, I used that energy by channeling it into exercise. I realised that although one cannot control a situation, it can be rerouted towards a more positive outlet which could result in calmness and clarity allowing a person to dissipate additional energy effectively.
Before one embarks on the road to fitness of the body and mind, the foundations must first be firmly in place. Using a tree analogy, the root of health must be connected to each leaf, as each individual leaf represents the formation of the entire tree.
Each leaf that sprouts and grows represents a different element such as desire, challenge, aggression, willpower, focus, speed and strength. Each of these are connected to our health and being. If you wish to increase strength and power, you will need desire and willpower. If you wish to become better, then you need to challenge yourself. However, without the root of health, the tree would always be weak. Of course, through exercise, one would hopefully have an opportunity to stimulate growth of the root. With a strong root you can use this to grow as well as stimulate the growth of others. I found that from my own learning, it has increased my appetite to share knowledge with others.
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