How is your fitness scale
When I was a lot younger, fitness meant retaining a good weight. Now that I am older, fitness is about having a healthy body, a peaceful mind and a strong spirit. Fitness means that I can walk down my driveway to pick up my mail without huffing and puffing.
Fitness means that I look forward to going out into society while maintaining a positive outlook. It means that I am rested and feeling confident about life. Fitness for the human body is defined by our physical health, emotional health and mental health. [i]
Physical fitness
Magazines and TV spots remind us that just 30 minutes of exercise daily is enough to keep our bodies healthy. Yes, some form of physical exercise brings oxygen to the brain, which improves our memory, reasoning and reaction time. Exercising a few minutes each day is not necessarily the issue; instead, it is having the motivation to work out. How do I motivate myself, for better physical health?
Here are the benefits of staying physically active, no matter whether you walk around the neighborhood or are competing for the Olympics:
– Disease prevention
– Feel and look better physically
– Sleep better
– Live longer
– Strength to avoid injury and move around safely
– Increase mental and emotional well-being
Emotional
Life presents many challenges and these trials are emotional issues that we must deal with. One emotional fitness practice involves laughter. Research has shown that sick patients heal quicker when laughter is given to them in large doses. Laughter affects our critical organs: heart, lungs and digestive system. In other words, it improves the body's whole circulatory system. Laughter releases endorphins that makes us feel happy and good.
Take control of negative emotions. For instance, if you find yourself grieving a loss, allow yourself time to feel, but only for a certain period of time. Grief will rob your body of necessary nutrients and place your emotions in an unhealthy environment. Find someone you can trust and talk to them about your concerns; do not go through issues alone.
Also, don't sit and pout. Get up and exercise your body and mind. Purposely use your creative side. Will you feel like it? No, which is why you must do it. Knit, cook, compose a song and sing it, plant/ tend a garden, or write in a journal.
Mental fitness
The brain is a muscle that requires a daily workout. Mental fitness allows a person to handle challenges and prepare for opportunities that life will present, all without becoming mentally stressed. Being mentally fit helps us do the following:
– Improve our focus and concentration
– Deal with stress more effectively
– Forgive and let go
– Keep a healthier connection with people
– Enjoy a happier life
Exercises to keep us mentally fit involve the right eating habits. Make sure that vitamin B is part of your diet. This involves leafy greens, dairy foods and whole grain foods. These foods are very important for brain health.
Keep the brain active with memory games, a new hobby, or learning something new and different. Also, remember to relax, and incorporate this into your week. Stress increases the cortisol hormones that are unhealthy for the brain.
Stay engaged with family and friends. Conversations involving various topics give our brain an exercise in questioning, reasoning and more. Mental activity helps to fire up our brain neurons. This action helps us to improve our spatial awareness and increase our knowledgeable reaction time. [ii]