Staying Physically Fit

"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” - Unknown Author

This last two spokes of a well-rounded wheel follow with the mental and physical aspects of our life. All spokes together create a wheel that allows us to achieve a greater life.

Mental and Emotional

The greeting is simple and most people pass on it without giving much thought to it. The act of someone asking, "how are you?" Do you stop and ask yourself that question? Do you really know how you are feeling or simply passing through time.

Every so often you need to sit back and examine your own mental and emotional state. Think about whether or not you've yelled at someone while driving. The stress level sometimes builds on us and our emotions can boil to the surface. Relieving the stress will help you to control your emotions. Don't let your emotions rule your life.

Find ways to ease back and relax from time to time. Then think about where your mind is at. If your emotions and mental state are tipping in a bad way, then the other parts of your life are effected. You don't perform nearly as well and life just seems to 'get in the way'. Work on this part of your life and if need be, get help. There is nothing wrong with seeking assistance to work out this area of 'you'.

Physical and Health

The last time you walked up a flight of stairs, were you breathing heavily? Can you do some of the same things you did a year ago when it comes to physical movement? Your ability to maintain health is directly related to how much physical activity you maintain. This year, my wife and I are participating in the Peachtree Roadrace. A 10K Run that of course we will walk along with most of the other 55,000 other runners/walkers.

Staying physically fit will help you keep your health longer in life. You will feel better and more able to function at a higher peak. All of us can use a bit more exercise and many find it difficult to find the time. It is certainly easier to sleep in or simply collapse on the couch after a long day at work.

If we work only partly as hard on our physical health as we do our job, the benefits would be tremendous. A quick walk around the block before or after work. Eating an apple for a snack instead of that candy bar. One less beer and maybe more water to drink is doable. Starting small will gradually build you up.

To do the things you want to do in life, being physically able to matters an awful lot. We as humans tend to think we are invincible but time and age do catch up with us. So if you are not happy with your current level of physical health, start doing something. Maybe you already work out, are you ready to take your health and fitness to the next level? There will be sacrifice of some sort to achieve fitness goals. Start with achievable goals, ones that are just out of reach. Then start today even if you haven't worked it all out yet. You'll feel better for it.

On Wednesday I'll provide a diagram of the six spokes that you can print out. Each spoke will contain a scale that you can rate yourself on. Then take it upon yourself to work on these areas of your life. Get the wheel in motion to a greater life for you and those around you.