A special thanks goes out to guest blogger Jim Rollince at gymsource.com for today’s informative article.
Making a commitment to health can sometimes seem overwhelming and impossible to achieve. However, understanding that sustainable health is more about finding or rediscovering the worth of an individual rather than achieving a highly stylized “look,” can help refocus and repurpose ideas on fitness and well-being.
Finding Your Center
Maintaining health and fitness or embarking on achieving an overall goal of better fitness, begins with understanding what is possible when it comes to the human body and mind. Both have to work together in order to accomplish holistic and sustainable health and both have to be accounted for when embarking upon any journey of physical fitness. Exercise as a whole, offers individuals the chance to see their strengths, to witness just how extraordinary the body and mind can be if given the proper care and attention and any form of movement will present these benefits. For some, walking on treadmills or walking outside is a starting point and a great one at that. Walking is a wonderful mode of activity that can provide a foundation for life-long mobility and it’s easy. Focusing your mind on your surroundings or engaging with some favorite music or a best friend while walking, all aid in relaxing stress hormones, lowering blood pressure, reducing body fat and invigorating lethargic, under utilized muscles. If weather is an issue, or if stress on the joints is a problem, ellipticals, found at any gym, can also offer an easy and accessible way to get moving.
Whether you’re just starting out or have been hitting the gym for years, focusing on the importance of daily movement is a must for life-long health. Many people spend long hours sitting behind desks or commuting in cars, their heads bent to their tablets and smartphones. It’s impossible to tally up how much of the day is accounted for, not moving and that lack of mobility has consequences. Scheduling in a daily or evening walk is a great way to regain some control over the stress of the day and to put aside the texting, the emails and the rigor of daily life to focus on “self” and health.
Beyond the Gym
Getting and staying in shape doesn’t have to come in the traditional ways that most might think. In fact, shaking things up a bit is sometimes the best way to see more sustainable results. Venturing beyond the gym is a great way to think creatively about fitness and health. A climbing wall is not only an amazing workout, but an extraordinary mental challenge as well. Going with a group or by yourself and accomplishing a “first climb” is an exhilarating experience filled with overcoming fears, setting goals, understanding the power of resilience and of course getting some pretty sore muscles. Accomplishing such a noble feat of physical and mental endurance only serves to remind everyone no matter what fitness level, that it is the human capacity to overcome, that is at the heart of a truly “fit” life.
Creature Comforts
Not everyone is ready to venture up the rock face just yet and for a very small price, getting fit at home is a great way to start the journey to health. Most people, men or women, can create an excellent “workout room” with an adjustable bench, a few free weights, jump rope, and a curl bar. Gyms can sometimes be an intimidating experience, therefore working out at home can garner the confidence needed to understand the body, the kinds of routines that work for specific goals and by simply allowing for you to relax and workout on your own time, in your own way.
The connection between exercise and overall mental health are many and just the action of moving alone begins to change the body and the mind considerably. Exercise produces endorphin’s, the body’s “feel good” hormones and the more these good-time chemicals are available, the stronger capacity we have to overcome many mental obstacles, including those that sometimes prevent us from becoming the best, most fit version of ourselves.
Whatever you choose to do, make sure you are exercising regularly. The benefits are too vast to ignore!
Please visit The Babble Out, for additional information on this topic.
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