Health and Fitness... A Personal Journey
This article was published by my good friend, Petra Schmelzeisen from Canada. Regards Lasse B
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Health and Fitness... A Personal Journey
In today’s fast moving, instant gratification seeking society, health and fitness have become our foremost concerns.
Consequently, the market for this industry has grown tremendously over the last decade, particularly with the aging of the so-called baby boomers. Fitness studios are opening up all around us and books about the latest diet programs are commonly found on today’s bestseller lists.
It seems that every time we visit a magazine store yet another health and fitness magazine has been added to the shelf displaying perfectly shaped and muscled specimen of the male and female persuasion. When shopping at health food stores, we are now confronted with a multitude of different brand vitamins, herbs, and nutritional supplements, an experience that can be utterly confusing, unless we have done our homework and know exactly what we are looking for.
Personally, I welcome all these different choices and over the years I have learned to make informed as well as intuitive decisions with respect to what supplements might or might not be beneficial to my health. The same is true for the kind of physical exercise I engage in today.
Sooner or later there comes a time in our life when we are confronted with issues concerning our health. The decisions we make from here on can determine the quality of the rest of our life. At this point we can take two different paths, we either choose to take personal responsibility for our health or we can put the responsibility into someone else’s hands.
When the time arrived for me to make that decision, I chose the path of personal responsibility and I soon discovered that I was about to embark on an exciting adventure of self- discovery.
I was motivated to improve my health when I was in my early twenties. From the time I was twelve years old I had suffered from chronic debilitating headaches and over the years I took more and more painkillers to make it through the day. Inevitably the constant use of painkillers, which by the way were always readily prescribed for me without much questioning by my family doctor, resulted in further health issues.
Upon reflection I realized one day that if I wanted to enjoy life I could not go on like this and that it was up to me to improve the quality of my life.
Taking responsibility was the first step on my journey toward better health and a better life.
What followed next was a lot of exploring, experimenting, and learning. Having been told by a number of medical specialists that they could not find any physical causes for the headaches I had suffered with for so long, I was led towards books and articles about the mind – body – connection.
The valuable insights I gained during that time convinced me that the holistic approach would be the most effective way to improve my well being.
Over the years experience has taught me that there are three basic truths when it comes to health and fitness:
* As with everything else you learn by trial and error.
* Whatever works for you does not necessarily work for the next person considering that we are all unique individuals.
* There are definitely no magic bullets.
I began to participate in seminars and workshops on relaxation, meditation, breathing techniques, visualization, and many more where I met interesting and caring people, some of whom became good friends and mentors. I also took a careful look at my eating habits and realized that my diet was far from balanced. Although I never had a weight issue, I was often tired and did not have the kind of stamina I desired. At that point I also sought some homeopathic treatment, tried various cleanses, and got nutritional advise.
With respect to physical fitness I narrowed down the choices to what I liked and did not like to do. Attempting a variety of different sports, I discovered that any high impact related sports like running were not suited for me. The sports I enjoyed most were hiking and cycling. They did not only increase my fitness level but were fun and furthermore combined my love and interest for nature. Later on, with the help of my partner, I learned how to do weight training and cardio exercises effectively and without injuring myself. I even entered a fitness competition with great results, something I would have never imagined myself doing before.
Looking back, my journey and quest for wellness began nearly twenty years ago. Now and then I still get an occasional headache but they do not control my life anymore. Over the years I read many books listened to countless tapes took a vast variety of seminars and workshops in order to explore a holistic lifestyle. To this day I continue to do so. Not everything appeals or works for me, so I pick and choose.
Although, I adhere to a healthy diet, I do not deprive myself of special treats and I enjoy them without feeling guilty. Furthermore, I make sure I take quality supplements that enhance my immune system and increase my energy. I exercise smartly and effectively and try to have fun while I am doing it. If I would rate myself on a scale of 1 to 10 in overall health and fitness I would give myself a 7 at this time because I know I can do much better. Oh and yes, I have to admit it, I would love to have a body like those perfectly shaped and muscled specimen on the magazine covers … well, I guess the journey continues indefinitely!
...
Health and Fitness... A Personal Journey
In today’s fast moving, instant gratification seeking society, health and fitness have become our foremost concerns.
Consequently, the market for this industry has grown tremendously over the last decade, particularly with the aging of the so-called baby boomers. Fitness studios are opening up all around us and books about the latest diet programs are commonly found on today’s bestseller lists.
It seems that every time we visit a magazine store yet another health and fitness magazine has been added to the shelf displaying perfectly shaped and muscled specimen of the male and female persuasion. When shopping at health food stores, we are now confronted with a multitude of different brand vitamins, herbs, and nutritional supplements, an experience that can be utterly confusing, unless we have done our homework and know exactly what we are looking for.
Personally, I welcome all these different choices and over the years I have learned to make informed as well as intuitive decisions with respect to what supplements might or might not be beneficial to my health. The same is true for the kind of physical exercise I engage in today.
Sooner or later there comes a time in our life when we are confronted with issues concerning our health. The decisions we make from here on can determine the quality of the rest of our life. At this point we can take two different paths, we either choose to take personal responsibility for our health or we can put the responsibility into someone else’s hands.
When the time arrived for me to make that decision, I chose the path of personal responsibility and I soon discovered that I was about to embark on an exciting adventure of self- discovery.
I was motivated to improve my health when I was in my early twenties. From the time I was twelve years old I had suffered from chronic debilitating headaches and over the years I took more and more painkillers to make it through the day. Inevitably the constant use of painkillers, which by the way were always readily prescribed for me without much questioning by my family doctor, resulted in further health issues.
Upon reflection I realized one day that if I wanted to enjoy life I could not go on like this and that it was up to me to improve the quality of my life.
Taking responsibility was the first step on my journey toward better health and a better life.
What followed next was a lot of exploring, experimenting, and learning. Having been told by a number of medical specialists that they could not find any physical causes for the headaches I had suffered with for so long, I was led towards books and articles about the mind – body – connection.
The valuable insights I gained during that time convinced me that the holistic approach would be the most effective way to improve my well being.
Over the years experience has taught me that there are three basic truths when it comes to health and fitness:
* As with everything else you learn by trial and error.
* Whatever works for you does not necessarily work for the next person considering that we are all unique individuals.
* There are definitely no magic bullets.
I began to participate in seminars and workshops on relaxation, meditation, breathing techniques, visualization, and many more where I met interesting and caring people, some of whom became good friends and mentors. I also took a careful look at my eating habits and realized that my diet was far from balanced. Although I never had a weight issue, I was often tired and did not have the kind of stamina I desired. At that point I also sought some homeopathic treatment, tried various cleanses, and got nutritional advise.
With respect to physical fitness I narrowed down the choices to what I liked and did not like to do. Attempting a variety of different sports, I discovered that any high impact related sports like running were not suited for me. The sports I enjoyed most were hiking and cycling. They did not only increase my fitness level but were fun and furthermore combined my love and interest for nature. Later on, with the help of my partner, I learned how to do weight training and cardio exercises effectively and without injuring myself. I even entered a fitness competition with great results, something I would have never imagined myself doing before.
Looking back, my journey and quest for wellness began nearly twenty years ago. Now and then I still get an occasional headache but they do not control my life anymore. Over the years I read many books listened to countless tapes took a vast variety of seminars and workshops in order to explore a holistic lifestyle. To this day I continue to do so. Not everything appeals or works for me, so I pick and choose.
Although, I adhere to a healthy diet, I do not deprive myself of special treats and I enjoy them without feeling guilty. Furthermore, I make sure I take quality supplements that enhance my immune system and increase my energy. I exercise smartly and effectively and try to have fun while I am doing it. If I would rate myself on a scale of 1 to 10 in overall health and fitness I would give myself a 7 at this time because I know I can do much better. Oh and yes, I have to admit it, I would love to have a body like those perfectly shaped and muscled specimen on the magazine covers … well, I guess the journey continues indefinitely!
posted by Lasse Burholt at 2:36 PM
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