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REACHING A STATE OF HARMONY

THE FITNESS STATE TRIANGLE

Harmony: (Greek) A pleasing combination of Elements in a Whole; Agreement in Feeling or Opinion. E.g. “Live in Harmony.”

The definition above represents the optimal situation for a balanced and healthy life. Of course nobody can avoid stress completely, nor should they want to because stress is also sometimes important, necessary, or even fun. Stress can be the stuff of life. But you can tune yourself so that you can come through it like a champ.

A balanced approach to life is the cornerstone of optimal and harmonious living. In order to reach that state of Harmony with your self and your environment the primary cornerstones that need to be addressed are Physical Balance, Chemical Balance, and Emotional/Spiritual balance.

MENTAL/EMOTIONAL BALANCE

PHYSICHAL BALANCE

CHEMICAL BALANCE

Physical Balance...........Top
Your body is a remarkable machine with an almost miraculous ability to keep itself in good health. That is, as long as you pay attention to several fundamental keys that allow the body to maintain this healing process. Physical Balance is fundamental. Living an active life style and not a sedentary life is probably the biggest challenge of our modern life. Unfortunately, we've forgotten what we already knew as children—that activity is fun! We have also forgotten that exercise is an act of self-respect, not work or punishment. These are great reasons to rediscover the joys of play!

But if you think of exercise as hard work, it will not help you to develop a positive attitude towards exercise. The key is to find activities that you enjoy so you can stick with them. Another key concept is cross-training. Your body will respond more effectively to physical change, if you let it experience different stimuli.

Cardiovascular exercise (e.g. jogging or swimming) is good for your heart and your lungs, but it won’t develop your muscles. Resistance training, which is not identical to weight lifting, will help you to develop and to maintain a good posture, reduce the risk of diseases such as osteoporosis, and develop more lean muscle mass, which in return will burn more calories, even when you rest. Finally, participating in a game you enjoy (e.g. baseball) will give you the chance to satisfy your social needs, put your skills and your talents into action and challenge your limits.

So, take care of your body and it will take care of you. Start gradually, do things that you really enjoy and try to do something every day or at least every other day. That will get you slowly in to the habit of an active lifestyle, which is the first step to start living in Harmony with your self.

Chemical Balance...........Top
Chemical balance is another cornerstone of the body's function. We are all made of chemicals, constantly circulating, exchanging, making tissues and breaking them down again. The proper function of your body depends on keeping the right chemicals in the proper balance. Too much or too little of something important, and the body is put out of balance, which can have effects from subtle to severe.

Your immune system is especially dependant on the chemical balance in your body, and an imbalanced immune system will not function up to par, enabling potentially harmful conditions to prosper. Proper Nutrition is fundamentally important to keeping your body in chemical balance as well as exercise.

There is one secret here. Do not consume more energy that you spend. It is so simple, yet most people forget about it because we live in such a consumer society.

Of course we live in a real world and the temptation is all around us. So, start making changes gradually and slowly and stick with the 80/20 approach. Eat what you know is good for you 80% of the time, and leave 20% for accepting the fact that you're not perfect! Try to eat complex carbohydrates, instead of sugar, get over the myth that fat is bad, include more fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains in your eating habits, and drink plenty of water about 1oz per kilo of body weight per day, to ensure proper hydration.

Finally, be patient and passionate about the goals you set. This is not a Hollywood movie. Things do not happen in a couple of hours. It takes time to achieve real change and break old bad habits. It took you some years to come to the point you are now. What makes you think that you can change it within a couple of weeks?

But if you stick with it, at the end the new lifestyle can become a second nature.

Mental/Emotional Balance...........Top
Your attitude about what happens in your daily life is perhaps the biggest factor in determining your degree of health. Ideally, the proper attitude will facilitate the successful handling of life's challenges, problems, and stresses, thus providing a healthy and natural growth for the individual.

If a person's reaction to unfavorable conditions is anger, resentment, or fear, he/she is something like a puppet jerked by environmental strings. The sagacious individual strives for the balance where his environment is not a condition for his or her happiness. Make no mistake, those who fail to discipline their emotional responses to outside hysteria and confusion will have a frantic fight to keep their sanity and mental balance intact.

Mental and emotional baggage can also affect your ability to be well by impeding your body's normal function. Forgiving and forgetting can resolve prior failure and regrets, hence leading to greater understanding and maintaining balance.

Perhaps the most important first step towards mental and emotional balance is to assume some basic responsibility for your own health. Doctors, Fitness Specialists, and Chiropractors can assist with many basic types of healing, but fundamentally, the health of an organism is dependent on its own outlook.

How many times have you said to yourself” I don’t have enough time to exercise,” “I’ll start next week,” “I have more important things to do.” We all use excuses in order to stay in our comfort zone. Yet taking care of ourselves, staying fit and healthy, should be our top priority since it is the foundation to achieve any other goal and to be able to enjoy our achievements. By not approaching your life as a victim, but as someone who can make changes, even small ones at first, you can make fundamental improvements to your lifestyle and future.

The real change starts from within. Fitness and Health is not a trend. It’s a lifestyle. Having balance in our daily life is more important than looking like a photo model, or an actor. Being able to perform simple daily activities without feeling tired is more important than fitting in our old pants. Admitted, these are the pleasant side effects of a balanced life style, but these should not be the focus.

So, you need to understand that the way we approach a balanced diet and an exercise program makes all the difference in the world. If you realize that we are designed to function in a balanced and harmonious state, it is going to be easier to “come home”, because that is natural for you.

So, How Do You Want To Live?