We all need continuous rhythmic movement for an average of 3 hours a week within a safe range of arerobic activity. As a result of our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, as we get older we become more susceptible to arthritis, rheumatism, heart disease, strokes, hypertension, diabetes, persistent or sudden episodes of back pain, and depression. People who have an active fitness plan, combined with the other elements of health enhancement, can help to reverse this process. You need not be an athlete to experience the benefits of physical activity; a regular program of stretching, walking, and physical attunement will help you to improve your health without the need for extensive equipment and elaborate training. The benefits that you will experience include:
A greater degree of flexibility in the joints of the body
Increased energy as a result of better circulation
Strengthened bones and the prevention of osteoporosis
Less fatigue as the lungs' efficiency improves
Increased muscle tone and strength
Healthier physique as the metabolism is stimulated to assist in burning up fats
Improved sleep patterns and relaxation as a result of greater activity
Facilitated digestion
Greater strength and cardiovascular fitness
Favorable changes in blood cholesterol levels
A lift in spirits and outlook as physical activity helps bum
biochemicals released by stress and depression and produces endorphins, which relieve pain and elevate emotions
Take a moment to reflect now on what your attitude has been in recent years to the maintenance and care for your physical fitness and ask yourself:
Do you have a daily awareness of your level of physical activity?
Have you set weekly goals or targets that are priorities?
Can long periods of time slip by without you attending to stretching, exercising, and improving your physical well-being?
Has this been the case for many years?
If you were conscious of exercising regularly at one stage of your life, what seem to be the factors associated with the decline in that routine?
What currently takes precedence over developing a sound approach to physical activity?
Now, in examining the factors that you have listed as taking precedence over physical fitness, can you find any item on the list that you can do well if you are sick? Of course not! It becomes clear immediately when going through this approach that there really are no excuses not to incorporate an active plan for physical exercise, if only so that you are able to carry out your other priorities in life.
You cannot attend to the more "pressing matters"of life and ignore your physical fitness, for if you do become ill, you will be unable to attend at all to these matters.
It is time to reacquaint yourself with your body and to respect it. Whatever your current state of health, the body has a remarkable capacity to repair and restore itself when you take the time to nurture it. This does require a sensitivity to the needs of the body.
A consistent and disciplined approach will complement that sensitivity without you becoming self-absorbed.
This information has been influenced by the teachings of Swami Satchidananda and the Integral Yoga Institute as well as Swami Sivananda, Dr. Jon Kabat Zinn, Swami Satyananda, Swami Rama, and many others over the years. For further information on cultivating health enhancement, I recommend reading the books of the above authors and using the free resources available through www.virtualhealthresort.com
Enjoy this talk on how to develop a sound physical exercise program as part of a holistic health enhancement lifestyle, with international speaker and educator Neal Hoptman. Sincere thanks and appreciation to Martin Amada of www.sitca.com who produced and edited this podcast. which was shot at Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa on Samui Island in the Gulf of Thailand.
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The Benefits and Effects of Exerciseby envisionSTEVe8,984 views
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