PHYSICAL FITNESS

LESSON #3: PHYSICAL FITNESS

Are you physically fit?........or do you think you are physically fit. It is said that if a person is physically fit then they are in healthy conditions. Being fit doesn’t mean that you’re small/thin or moderate in size. One can be plump but still fit. It’s good and healthy to take fitness exercises for it helps burn off unwanted calories, makes your heart beat healthier plus it makes your body flexible and muscles less tense.

Most people always jog or decide to take a run to burn off excess weight but this is wrong if it is only done for this purpose because one will be straining their bodies to shade off weight so fast in the shortest time. Hence affecting the heart and how it pumps blood around the body, getting muscle sprains or stitches.

Jogging is not the only option to stay fit there are so many fitness exercises for one to use to stay in shape e.g. Gymnastic, swimming, tennis or squash, small weight lifting, yoga e.t.c whichever suits you. At the end of the day one has to have a healthy diet to back up this exercise so that they body does not go back to its former state.

·        Develop the wonderful habit of a daily swim. It will promote excellent health, keep you relaxed and concentrated, lean and trim. Swimming is not stressful on the body, provides a great workout for the lungs and requires little time to do effectively. Remember that in a fit body resides a fit mind-- Robin S. Sharma

·        Try entering a 5 km running race and then a 10 km event. The adrenaline that flows from the experience of racing with several hundred other fitness-minded people is exhilarating. By constantly pushing the envelope of your capacity, your potential will quickly unfold. Remember, the body will give you only what you ask of it. -- Robin S. Sharma.

·        To be at your performance peak mentally, your body must be loose physically and relaxed. It is now beyond dispute that there is a mind-body connection and when the body is supple, free from tension, the mind is clear, calm and focused as well. This is why yoga is such a beneficial activity. It keeps the body relaxed so that the mind can follow. Basic stretching for 15 minutes a day is also an excellent way to release tension that builds up as a result of our life in this highly complex and fast moving, but wonderful world. Try having a massage or power lounging in a Jacuzzi. Relax the body and you relax the mind-- Robin S. Sharma

·        Peak performers are physically relaxed and mentally engaged-- Robin S. Sharma

THE GIFT OF BREATH

LESSON #2: THE GIFT OF BREATH

One of the things the human body does on reflex is breathing. When God breathed into the nostrils of Adam in Genesis 2:7 man became alive, when man dies they say “breath got out of him”. In most cases we take breathing for granted as if we own it but in reality we don’t because no money can buy breath and if we do not care about what type of gases we breathe in our systems we are bound to lose that breath sooner than we expected.

For our bodies to function well we need pure oxygen in the system. Do you take time in the morning to take deep breathes of fresh air? Or are you busy dashing out of the house in short gasping breathes? Your brain works at its best when it is having sufficient air so take time every morning to take at least 3 deep calm breathes when you get out of bed.

Cigarette smoking is the worst habit when it comes to denying your body good oxygen flow. Some smokers say that it helps stimulate their brains to be alert or to calm down their nerves. But I ask if that is so then God would have made the air full of nicotine smoke for health purposes. Funny enough all smokers know that they risk having lung cancer but they are not willing to stop they always say “we shall cross the river when we get there”. Fine you shall but do you consider non-smokers who you inconvenient with your puffed nicotine?

It’s indiscipline for a smoker to smoke near non-smokers, it shows lack of respect. If you’re a smoker and you would like to quit here are some ideas you can use.

1.     Decide and be firm on quitting there should be no room for second guessing.

2.     Reduce on the number of cigarette you smoke in a day. If you’re serious you can reduce a cigarette per day until you’re comfortable with one cigarette per day. The soon you shall quit.

3.     Avoid going back to places which you once smoked in and better still avoid your smoking friends.

·        Learn the power of breathing and its relationship with your energy source. The mind is intimately connected with your breathing. For example, when the mind is agitated, your breathing becomes quick and shallow. When you are relaxed and focused, your breathing is deep and calm. By practicing deep, abdominal breathing, you will develop a calm, serene demeanor that will remain cool in the hottest of circumstances. Remember the rule of the Eastern mountain men: "to breathe properly is to live properly." -- Robin S. Sharma