miamiyoga
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08:50:08 am on October 1, 2009 |
Why regular practice of the correct physical exercise is essential.
When I say that this book contains everything you need to know to build a happier, healthier you, I mean it. In essence, it is like an owner’s manual for your body. Armed with an understanding of how your body works and what it needs, you can get control of it. You can create the type of environment in which it can thrive and you really can improve every aspect of your life.
Distinguishing between foods that promote vigor and vitality from those that poison is a tremendous leap, but it will only get you half way there. The next step involves properly exercising the body and fortunately roughly half the book remains. Almost everything we use on a day to day basis deteriorates with use. Edges dull; paint chips; motors fail. Our bodies are the opposite. With use, they improve. With exercise, they perform longer.
Moving moves things. Like all organisms, our bodies are made up of free flowing systems. Life is literally flowing through us. Movement is an underlying principle of our digestive system, our reproductive system, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Keeping all of your systems flowing freely is essential to health. Constipation and acne are a few examples of what happens when there are blockages in these systems. Heart attacks is another.
Stagnation in any of the body’s systems has grave effects. We touched on the dangers of constipation when we discussed cooked food and flesh eating, but it is worth a second mention here. Moving food through our bodies quickly and easily is a must. Bowl movements should occur easily and often and one way to help make this happen is to eat the proper foods. The other way is to move the body. The stomach and intestines are aggressive, hard working organs and they are determined to keep the show rolling, but the proper exercise makes them a heck of a lot more effective.
Even more important than moving food through the body is keeping the blood moving. The more freely blood is able to circulate through the body, the more frequently it passes through filter organs. In other words, it stays cleaner. Minimizing the toxins in your blood means minimizing the toxins in all your tissues, including your brain. That’s one benefit. In addition to being clean, it is also crucial that it moves easily to all parts of the body. Blood feeds your body’s tissues. Nothing happens anywhere in the body unless blood is there. No movement, thought or any process can occur unless the tissues are adequately supplied with blood. Most people are familiar with a ‘falling asleep’ sensation in a particular body part after sitting in an awkward position for a long time. When blood is obstructed from a particular body part, it hurts. Eventually it will turn black and rot off. Most people move their body parts enough to keep them from rotting off, but many people complain about a stiff neck, achy feet or just ‘poor circulation’ in general.
It amazes me how often blockages in our flowing systems are overlooked or their effects are blamed on some other ‘problem.’ Other times they are just given a name and regarded as an ailment in their own right. In our society, many of us are more vigilant when it comes to maintaining the free flowing system in our cars than the ones in our bodies. Think about all the oil changing and fluid monitoring people do to care for their cars. Most of us are more prone to heart attack than to a clogged fuel line or broken head gasket. A blockage in any of your bodily systems is an outright emergency. If you are wondering about wondering about the causes of any ‘mysterious’ aches, or feelings of nausea or lethargy, stop wondering and start moving your body. Keeping our systems flowing freely is basic bodily maintenance and it can be achieved through regular, vigorous exercise.
When you exercise, you also build strength. At the gym tend to become preoccupied with a particular muscle group, such as the ‘abs’ or chest when we exercise but a comprehensive exercise practice strengthens the entire body. A comprehensive exercise encourages the cooperation of various muscle groups. This ‘cooperation’ leads to coordination. Rarely do we depend on just one muscle group for anything. Strength is more appropriately determined by how well our muscle groups work together.
Though many of us are preoccupied with the superficial effects of exercise, the benefits that have nothing to do with how we look in a tank top can be more important. Like other muscles, the heart can be strengthened or weakened depending on the degree to which it is used. The more blood your heart pumps to the aorta, the stronger and more efficient it gets. Your bones are the same way. Halloween imagery and archeology digs makes many of us perceive our bones as inactive and lifeless. Our skeletal system is as alive as any other part of your body. Exercising it builds bone strength and density. Even the nerves are strengthened with exercise, becoming steadier and eventually creating an environment where you are less likely to feel edginess or nervousness.
Most commonly associated with exercise, are the calorie-burning aspects. In a society where we are predominantly overweight, this element is extremely relevant. The nutrients our bodies need are not available in isolated sources. No matter what we are eating, our nutrients come with some excess calories. This is a good thing. These are the calories that work as fuel for the things we do above and beyond repairing tissues and making blood. The problem is, if you don’t do anything beyond repairing tissues and making blood, you get fat. Unless you are engaging in some calorie burning activity other than repairing tissues and firing neurons, you’re probably getting fat.
Virtually any type of physical activity is good for your body, but certain exercise practices are infinitely more beneficial than others. One of the first distinctions of a good exercise practice from another is whether it is complete or incomplete. Is it benefiting the entire body, or is it focussing on an isolated area? For example, compare an exercise like biceps curls to swimming. One focuses on a particular muscle group, the other involves the entire body. The next is whether or not it cardiovascular. Most sustained, vigorous exercises like swimming or jogging are cardiovascular and strengthen and maintain circulatory system.
I am a supporter of any safe, vigorous exercise practice that is performed on a regular basis. However, the benefits of some pale in comparison to others. I am about to introduce you to a practice that is more valuable than anything you else you can do with your body. It is a practice that is complete and cardiovascular. It promotes the free flow of the various systems in your body, builds strength, burns calories and can lead to spiritual enlightenment. Swimming is wonderful for your body. So is bicycling. This is better.
Fred Busch Yoga Retreat in Tuscany
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