During the holiday season I wrote an article titled “Focus on Fitness or Food First for a Fantastic Future”.
The main theme of that article was to help people focus on the importance of first making great food choices for perfect health. Once you totally commit to your health and well being and begin feeding your body fantastic foods then it is time to focus on fitness and exercise for being energized, fit and healthy
During the holiday season many people over indulge in beverages and foods which are unhealthy and many are even toxic. This often leads to excess fat, fatigue, fear, frustration and a frantic search for help. When you get to your pain threshold you are ready to invest the energy and time needed to focus on fitness. It must be a priority. As you expand your focus and attention on additional exercise and fitness strategies many options will come to you.
Over my 57 years young lifetime I have been physically active and exercised regularly the majority of my life. Over the years it was natural to explore many new ideas and methods as numerous experts, exercises and equipment came into favor and often went out of favor.
Finding An Effective Fitness Focus
My first role model for exercise and fitness was the strong and super fit Jack LaLane who hosted a national TV program on exercise and health. He promoted calisthenics (crunches, jumping jacks, leg lifts, push ups, squats, toe raises etc.) you could do at home without needing expensive equipment or gym memberships.
Then my fitness role models expanded to school Physical Education (PE), Ted Williams, Arnold Schwarzenegger weight training, US Army Physical Training (PT), Jim Fixx the distance runner, Dave Scott the marathon man and tri-athlete and many others over the years.
After dabbling and trying many different approaches over the decades it was obvious exercise was very beneficial and contributed to my overall health and well being. At the same time the confusion, frustration, injuries and lack of comprehensive total fitness left me more than a bit disappointed.
It was obvious that a total exercise, fitness and health diagnosis followed by a fitness makeover was needed. The goal was to review my current biomarkers, programs and results and then research and review the proven practices and principles that would help me achieve my long term outcomes.
It is better to avoid the unproven expensive equipment, fads, fast fixes, gimmicks, hype and miracle devices on the market and invest in proven programs that fit your budget, lifestyle and yield the optimal results.
Invest in the time to seek great resources and role models to analyze where you are and then develop a mastery action plan to get you where you want to be. By asking better questions, seeking proven experts and synchronicity my prayers were answered with the solutions, strategies, suggestions, systems and support needed. A comprehensive health mastery seminar helped me understand what principles were working great and where adjustments to my beliefs, perceptions and procedures would help move me in the direction desired.
Mapping Your Fitness Action Plan
After basic measurements, detailed questionnaire, extensive education, fitness benchmarks, Live Blood Analysis (LBA), saliva and urine analysis and many other diagnostic tools it was obvious where my strengths and weaknesses were. Then it was a matter of creating a new mindset and mastery action plan to create a more effective and efficient program.
By utilizing a comprehensive team of experts it became evident how to create a personal program to follow. They helped me understand basic core programs for different body types and then helped me develop specific adjustments to better meet my needs.
Be extra careful when choosing an exercise program, fitness instructor, personal trainer or workout buddy. Be cautious to chose a great advisor and avoid picking a resource that may give inappropriate or incorrect advice for your body condition and type which could result in you being frustrated, injured or developing unhealthy habits.
It should come as no surprise there are many people out there more committed to making money in the short term than being concerned for your long term health and well being.
Long Term Fitness
There are also many fit individuals who look muscular, strong and toned but are not healthy. It is well know in the body building and fitness industry that many fit looking people eat excessive animal proteins and use supplements to build muscles, cut fat to look lean and ripped. Unfortunately they obsess on short term results without regards to the long term health consequences and personal ramifications.
A man who owned several gyms and authored several books on diet and exercise died of heart disease in his mid sixties. Maybe his recipe and many other self proclaimed experts who appear fit but are not healthy, may not be the best advice to follow.
While gyms may look like a great place to access lots of discipline, great equipment and personal trainers be advised there are also many things to be careful about. Besides the excessive equipment, fitness fad environment, multiple mirrors, monthly cost, public scrutiny, risk of injury, travel time and workout wardrobe etiquette one must decide what exercise habits and routine will be best in the long run.
It is essential to determine what will best enhance your exercise and fitness experience now and help you with a process and program to support you the rest of your life. The truth is many people sign up for gym memberships for the New Year or prior to a big event in order to lose weight and trim down only to drop out when the gym glamour wears off.
Decades of observations of others and my own personal experience led me to this conclusion:
The best exercise and fitness program is one that is designed to easily fit your busy life, changing environment and daily schedule. For most people this means exercising at home with very basic equipment and fitness items you can invest in once and use for the rest of your life.
Now that you understand the importance of maintaining your emotional, mental and physical health first it is easy to build on this foundation for your total well being. After feeding your body fantastic foods it is then time to focus on fitness and exercise for being energized, fit and healthy. In the next article, Part 2: Focus on Fitness we will share the next steps for creating an exercise and fitness program for perfect health.
Mastery Action Plan
You can visit youtube and watch so many great videos of Jack LaLane of amazing footage of his simple yet effective exercise routines. (I had written his name in the article the day before hearing of his passing.)
The following two videos of Jack offers timeless advice.
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Then go to youtube, and watch videos of his fitness feats and physical prowess to become inspired and motivated.
Be ready to read Part 2: Focus on Fitness, in our next blog post for ideas and inspiration to help you get started.
The goal is to design a great exercise and fitness program that provides fabulous fun and fantastic fitness for happy, healthy families.
Our next blog pst will share: Part 2: Focus on Fitness
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