Answer is Balance
True Health? The Answer is Balance
Many people have goals when it comes to their fitness. Some wish to lose weight, build mass, be stronger, move faster, or become the six million dollar man, (by now it’s closer to 12 million, but that’s neither here nor there). To have the optimum chance at achieving true health, you must strive to achieve balance in your life.
Balance comes from many different areas. Your health is affected by many different things; Stress, your financial disposition, your job, your friends, the physical condition of your body, those whom you love, just to name a few. You must strive to right that which is wrong in your life so that you can take control of your health. Should any area of your life be out of balance, so too will be your quest to achieve your absolute best when striving to reach your fitness goals and objectives or optimal health.
From the physical point of view, your spine plays a strong role in how you feel. Your spine is nothing more than a network of connective wires that transmit and receive information back about the body and what’s going on with it. In times of stress, your body’s muscles may tighten, pull, or put different stresses on the spine or collection of joints. Should this happen, the spine itself may become ‘unbalanced’ and the exchange of information will become thwarted. Thus, the body’s ability to communicate information back to the brain about its environment and what is going on is compromised. So, take care of your back through safe lifting techniques, strength training to promote adequate capability during home and/or work activities, and flexibility to allow those tired muscles a little relaxation.
From a cardiovascular point of view, your heart (also a muscle) needs the right amount of attention in order to become the General of your body. If that heart doesn’t beat, there won’t be much for you to do come tomorrow! Be vigilant in making sure that the one in charge of mobilizing the troops, sends the blood to wherever it needs through vigorous bouts of treadmill, bike, walking, running, rowing, or other forms of aerobic exercise. Begin with 2-3 times a week of 15-20 minutes and add another couple of minutes every week till you hit 30 – 40 minutes. You’ll heart will thank you and so will the people you love who will get to spend more years listening to all your exaggerated war stories!
Let’s talk more about ‘the heart’. From a spiritual point of view, most people think that TRUE health is being skinny, or muscular, or trim, or whichever word best constitutes the physical presence of one’s self to be ‘pleasing to look at’. This is NOT so. You may be VERY pleasing to look at, yet, be the worst picture of health when cut open and dissected! Your measurement of health is not achieved by how it is that you look on the outside, but by many different areas that represent true health; a mind at peace, a body of physical conditioning (whatever physical look pleases you), and a soul nurtured by the many fruits of life that come only through the love of family and friends.
Let me speak from my own heart to yours so that you’ll see that I am no different than you! (There’s nothing worse than someone who speaks and doesn’t’ show they know PERSONALLY about their subject matter! ) My life is a terribly unbalanced equation! I work long hours, commit a great deal of my time, efforts, and energies to the people that I work in the interest of and selfishly attended to the needs of the many, neglecting the needs of the one! Almost two years ago, I lost the most important person in my life and it caused many other areas of my life to suffer. This loss came from an imbalanced equation. My work BECAME my everything and my ONLY thing when I lost my soulmate. Hence, an area of my life that I valued became terribly out of balance and my balance in emotional health went down right along with it! As such, though I am in fine physical and financial condition, my life is not complete because of this void. All of the rewards of fitness or finance mean nothing if the calculations are not balanced throughout the broad spectrum of life’s equation.
So, what have we learned today? NEVER neglect a woman that is without equal and the woman you hope to spend the rest of your life with? Do everything and anything you can to let your partner know that you love her and anxiously await the opportunity again to love her again? Make sure that the mistakes of the past do not become the mistakes of the future? Well, yes. Of course! But for YOU, I’d say nurture EVERY area of your life and remember that TRUE health is achieved through the exercise and conditioning of every aspect of your life, not just the ass-pect on the treadmill!
Phil Sottile, the director and owner of Fitness Together and Intelligent Fitness/Athlete’s Edge, has 15 years of experience in the health club industry having pioneered two previous fitness companies (one taken to IPO) and owned his own fitness centers. Mr Sottile has certified, educated, and tested other fitness instructors as a contributing author to a fitness certification course, extensively lectured to students at Dowling and Nassau Community colleges, motivationally spoken to high school students, educated seniors, has hosted his own broadcast of INTELLIGENT FITNESS on 105.3FM Radio, has appeared on NEWS12 LONG ISLAND as “Personal Trainer to Long Island’s Kids”, currently co-hosts THE INTELLIGENT WAY TO WELLNESS on CABLEVISION CH.20, sits on the Technical Advisory Committee to BOCES and WILSON Technological center, and has been reported on by several local magazines, newspapers, and bodybuilding periodicals.
Sottile is a staff writer for Fathersandsons Magazine, LongIsland.Com, and is also a guest writer for Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness Magazine.