As January really starts to roll and New Year resolutions are already beginning to wane, I am going to give you a little helping hand through these chilly weeks to help you keep going with your fitness regime and healthy lifestyle aspirations.
You don’t have to torture yourself with gruelling visits to the gym or exhausting fitness classes, everything in moderation is what works best for even the most seasoned fitness fanatic. Here are some ideas to set you on your way or re-establish your already fading plans of keeping in shape.
Mindset is always the most difficult and also the most important component of any successful campaign, and as we said with in our diet article this week, once you have the resolve you are well on your way to success.
Little steps are always the most successful at the beginning, and I mean literally. Set yourself a target of say, five to ten minutes on the treadmill or as a brisk daily walk, and gradually build it up to twenty by the end of the second week. This way you will not only build up your physical capacity and strength, you will also improve your mental resolve which will help you to keep going.
Keep a daily report of your activity, even if it is one line in your diary, you don’t have to make a lot of work for yourself. Keeping everything simple will also help you to sustain your regime.
Choose the exercise that is the most suited to you, it could be yoga, zumba or just plain walking or running. Some of us respond better when moving or exercising to music, which is why we see so many runners with headphones. It has been established that music itself is a great motivator.
I have been studying the Five Tibetan Rites exercises, which are interesting as they promise long life, health and happiness. Cynics may believe it is just another form of yoga or tai-chi, but I personally think it is worth trying, as any ancient remedy is worth investigation and even a trial run.
The monks who developed the Rites did not describe specific benefits. They stated that the specific purpose of the Rites is to regain health, youth and vitality:
…“The body has seven centres, which, in English, could be called Vortexes. These are kind of magnetic centres. They revolve at great speed in the healthy body, but when slowed down – well that is just another name for old age, ill health and senility. The quickest way to regain health, youth, and vitality is to start these magnetic centres spinning again. There are but five practices that will do this. Any one of them will be helpful, but all five are required to get glowing results. These five exercises are really not exercises at all, in the physical culture sense. The Lamas think of them as ‘Rites’ and so instead of calling them exercises or practices, we too, shall call them ‘Rites.”…
You can download the original 1939 book “The Eye of Revelation” containing the story of the discovery of the monks for free by clicking here.
I would recommend this sort of exercise intervention, because I also believe that we should alter our fitness regime from time to time as our bodies get used to the ‘same old’, and so rather than thinking it is a way of avoiding the gym or wet windy days running in the park, consider it just one way of keeping up the momentum, and stimulating your already strong mindset for a wonderfully healthy 2016.
