Straight Talk About Fitness From the La Grange Gym Owner
Total health includes physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being, and each affects the others. Your body is by far the most valuable physical possession you have. YOUR BODY IS THE VISUAL YOU, and its condition will be determined mainly by your exercise and eating lifestyle. Your lifestyle will depend on the habits that you intentionally create.
Exercise Habits
You've heard it a million times. Regular exercise is ESSENTIAL for good health. Just like a vehicle, a house, or other possessions, the human body must have continuous maintenance to be kept in good shape. The two basic types of exercise are aerobic and anaerobic.
Aerobic exercise promotes cardiovascular health (heart, circulation, and respiratory) which significantly reduces the risk of many conditions including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and certain types of cancer. It is the most popular type of exercise and generally consists of walking, running, jumping, stepping, swimming, etc.
Anaerobic exercise involves muscle strengthening, toning, and building. This generally consists of resistance training, such as weightlifting. The benefits are enormous, and include increased metabolism (more calories burned all the time), lower blood sugar, increased strength and endurance, improved mood (reduces anxiety and depression), fat loss, joint health, bone strength, and reduced risk of many diseases.
Weight Control and Eating Habits
Weight control is the number one reason people join gyms, but there is a hard fact that few people seem to understand, or want to accept. That fact is that weight control is much more about eating habits than exercise. Weight control is ultimately about calories in verses calories out, and in a matter of minutes you can eat the amount of calories that will take too many hours to burn off in the gym.
There are a number of factors that affect the difficulty a person will have in controlling their weight. Some factors we have little or no control over, and others we have complete control. Genetics and natural metabolism are two factors that we don't control, but that does not mean they have to control us. Only a very small percentage of people have physical disorders or conditions that can be used as legitimate reasons for not controlling weight.
The next statement is not what most people want to hear or accept, but it is the truth - body weight is ultimately determined by the choices and decisions we make on what goes into our mouths, and we have 100% control of those choices. Those choices and decisions will basically be driven by one of two sources - society "norms" or personal discipline.
Society is all about making money and indulging in pleasure, so foods are processed to maximize both. High-calorie foods full of addicting ingredients like sugar and caffeine, to name only a few, are produced to tantalize the taste buds and create insatiable appetites. These foods intentionally create cravings and addictions that have resulted in 67% of the U.S. population being overweight. Fifty years ago, a 16 ounce drink was the "large" drink. Now, that is the small drink, and the norm is the 32 or 44 ounce, with free refills!
The Ultimate Answer
Creating good exercise and eating habits is very important, and it requires two things that can be hard to come by - discipline and motivation. If the vast majority of people know they should exercise and eat better, and desire to be in better shape, but don't make the effort, why is that? The answer is lack of self-discipline and motivation, and this is where Spiritual health comes in. It has the greatest overall impact on our mental, emotional, and physical health.
When we look deep, we see that true inner happiness is mainly driven by our sense of security and peace of mind. We find temporary fun, pleasure, and enjoyment in the things of this world, our possessions, and our relationships with others, but we know inside that they are just that - temporary. They don't provide the deep-down fulfillment that humans want and need. We are always subconsciously aware that on any day, things can happen, and often do, that can bring our world crashing down. We know that our length of life is uncertain, and even if we live to a ripe old age, that is nothing compared to what comes afterward. Spiritual health will ultimately motivate you to self-discipline in developing healthy physical habits, because it will provide the solid foundation of purpose and meaning for your life.
It is my passion to help individuals attain the fitness level they so desire, by providing a fitness facility rooted in spiritual principles. The good Lord has blessed me in many ways, and He says "To those whom much is given, much will be required". It is both His purpose and my pleasure to assist and minister to others, and that is why He has entrusted me with the La Grange Gym.
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