Everything we do, when done with purpose, gives us strength. The power we receive from our purposeful actions come from all directions - emotional, physical and spiritual. This power may come in one or more forms - health, confidence, strength, wealth or peace of mind. The old saying, “Put your back into it,” captures the spirit needed to push to new levels of success. I would add to this mantra “...and don’t forget to breathe”.
There are few things that get us moving like a good old health scare. When we are faced with feelings of dread and doom we are often motivated to fix that diet and get back to exercising. However, if we wait until we are compelled this way, we have a much more difficult road ahead of us, as we are stuck in a mode of making a “come back” instead of continuing progression.
I believe Certified Personal Trainers treat the living; doctors treat the dying. Fitness is preventative medicine. Before you find yourself in that doctor’s waiting room, start a new process chain in your day to get moving now. Doing a little exercise each day, over time, builds up all of the body systems. When your systems are online, they do a great job of keeping you out of the health scare zone.
Many of us struggle with nutrition and exercise because those things have been used as punishment rather than reward. When we introduce purpose into our lifestyle, however, vanity becomes unimportant and the process becomes the reward. The result is a better chance of avoiding disease and injury. Or at the very least, fitness gives us strength to fight the medical challenges that are ahead of us.
When one part of the body is affected, all parts of the body are affected as well. This connected effect of the body is better known as the “kinetic chain.” For example, an underdeveloped pelvic region can cause the knee or shoulders to overcompensate. This creates postural distortions and injury. Exercising the pelvic region begins with resting and fortifying, so the process chain is inherently connected to the kinetic chain.
Getting fit requires us to think mindfully about the kinetic chain of our body. To properly support the body, we need to inspire the “process chain” of waking, fortifying, exercising, re-fortifying and resting. If our approach is with moderation and self compassion, we can mindfully approach the body and make progress from day one.
I want you to experience the potential to heal. Because nutrition and exercise are so frequently connected to vanity, many feel intimidated to begin creating a process chain. But here’s the best news - you’ve already begun! When you rested last night, and you woke this morning, you began the purposeful process of fortifying your health. You are already participating in your own process chain, and you can start where you are in that healing process.
The perfect place to start your fitness journey is with a deep breath. A nice big inhale and powerful exhale is all it takes to start. When the involuntary process of breath becomes voluntary and purposeful, you are telling your body that you’re taking command of your wellbeing. At the very beginning of your day, before that first cup of coffee, take a deep inhale and feel the positive effects of fresh breath. That life-giving breath fortifies you in mind and body, and prepares you to make mindful decisions about nutrition and exercise as you move through your day. The key to being mindful is to find the correct cadence of breath to help support your movements when you push forward. The mood-elevating power of breath is life changing, and it can be the catalyst to get you on track to better health.
John “Wyld Stile” Larson
Comments