Movement and exercise are a very important part of living a holistic life.
We have evolved from nomadic ancestors who spent their time moving around in search of food and shelter, travelling large distances on a daily basis. Our bodies are designed and have evolved to be regularly active. Taking away what is a part of your natural design will in the long run lead to a series of different difficulties and complications, because sitting at a desk or infront of a television isnt natural for your body. Exercising increases your overall energy level as well as helping create mental clarity.
Active people tend to sleep better
Physical activity makes you more tired so you’re more ready to sleep. Good quality sleep helps improve overall wellness and can reduce stress.
Exercise improves your mood and gives you an improved sense of well-being
Physical activity stimulates the release of endorphins which make you feel better and more relaxed. These in turn improve your mood and lower your stress levels.
Exercise can help prevent and treat mental illnesses like depression
Physical activity can help you meet people, reduce stress levels, cope with frustration, give you a sense of achievement, and provide some important “me time”, all of which help with depression and other stress related mental health problems.
Exercise however isnt limited to the gym. You can do anything from brisk walking, any form of martial arts, any sport of your choice to yoga.
Gardening and growing your own food is one of the best ways to incorporate exercise into your daily life. Two birds one stone and all that jazz. No matter how you slice it, our bodies need consistent motion to function optimally. Gardening is just one way to promote activity when you otherwise might be sitting. After all, if the weeds are infiltrating your yard, you have built-in motivation to get in the dirt and work. Time passes quickly, and before you know it, you’ve wracked up 60 minutes of exercise. Since starting to work on our land both myself and frank have lost a lot of weight. Which wasn’t even intentional, nor did i notice it until our neighbour pointed it out one day.
The most important thing is to be aware and find creative ways to incorporate exercise and movement into your daily life. In order to achieve a sustainable life, we must remember to take care of this vessel.
Meditation/Prayer as an aide to physical exercise
First, it saves time by combining two activities that are beneficial for body, mind and soul. Secondly, the melding of mediation/prayer and exercise is synergistic – workouts feel less stressful and the time seems to fly when you’re engaging in meditation/prayer. The mind clearing effect of exercise helps open the mind for reflection and meditation, enhancing your time. Finally, you are reinforcing two habits. If you already regularly meditate/pray or work out, it’s fairly easy to add the other activity to an established routine. In the spirit of keeping it simple because life in general keeps us busy. If you don’t do either, you really only have to establish one new habit instead of two.
Yoga
Yoga, in its many forms, is considered to be some of the oldest recorded forms of exercise. Its main focuses are strength, flexibility and breathing. There’s a big difference between a restorative yoga class with very little movement and a fast-paced vinyasa class where you’re quickly moving from one challenging pose to the next. So depending on where you are at there is always a form of yoga that will suit you. There is evidence that yoga does improve strength when practiced regularly. Many poses in yoga are a form of body weight training that uses your body weight for resistance, for example the handstand or the plank. Certain positions and poses, just by leveraging your body weight, will challenge a muscle and make it stronger.
Above a very brief different ways to move your body and take care of it, to be stronger in order for us to lead more well rounded lives. We are WHOLE beings and to be fulfilled we need to see even a simple task such as exercise an extension of our spiritual selves.
In good health,
Asli