LISTEN TO YOUR BODY TALK, YOUR BODY TALK

I know how tough it can be to start a fitness program.Reasons abound - good, bad and indifferent - for not embarking on this most wondrous of journeys into yourself. No time, low energy, too much work, in a bad mood, and so forth. Or my favorite: I don't feel up to it today. So I'll get crackin' tomorrow.

But I tell you, when you don't regularly engage in some form of physical activity, you're missing out on one of the most uplifting and personally rewarding habits you can ever develop. I know this from personal experience, and having been on both sides of the exercise - no exercise continuum.

I've often spoken of coaxing yourself into action.And this works quite well for many.

Start small, start short, and you may surprise yourself once you get into it: you're actually enjoying yourself.

The key is to stop while you still want to do more. Make it so you actually look forward to your next session. As opposed to cranking it up, going in full bore...and suffering severe soreness or injury. Over time, you will improve - I guarantee it. What was once hard becomes easy. What once seemed out of reach is within your grasp.

It's amazing the impact this can have on your life. Beyond the mechanics of getting started and maintaining a regular exercise program, there is one very important point that needs to be made:

Exercise is it's own reward.

I'm not talking about the health benefits that accrue, which I Know you've heard a gazillion times.I'm talking about the intrinsic and highly personal benefits you receive from giving of yourself - of your time, of your energy - to this life-sustaining, health-promoting activity. It doesn't matter what you are doing, or why.Perhaps you need to start exercising to help control high blood pressure. Or you want to lose weight, or build more stamina.

Maybe you are into yoga, or weight training, or you enjoy going for long walks

.And of course, you may be interested in how to develop your breath and energy to new levels, for enhanced fitness and health. And before you think, "Breathing isn't exercise", I have some news for you. Breathing can be the perfect exercise - the one that supports all other physical activity, makes it seem easier and less taxing. For example, you can perform the exercise series I teach you in the Secret Power of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course,Volume II -http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/dynamic_energy2.html - at varying levels of intensity, to fit your present mood and needs. But when you perform these exercise at "full speed and power", with focused intent - whew,let me tell you, you can really feel it. It is indeed an excellent workout, especially if you only have a few minutes you can carve out of your busy day. Whatever you are doing, use that time to focus on it. Put your full intent into the activity.

This doesn't mean to kill yourself. Exercise at a level of intensity that pushes you just a bit. Killing yourself, really pushing yourself, can come later, when you are fitter, tougher,or perhaps training for an athletic event or competition. For most of us, our minds are the primary driver during our days. We obsess, we get stressed, we are constantly thinking and worrying. We are rarely in the present moment. When you exercise, you put aside those thoughts and all that "monkey chatter", as the psychologists call it. You let your body be the driver for a change. When you are in the middle of a good workout, you forget about the worries of the day. If you do it with a level of concentration and care, you can lose yourself. And so find yourself.

The other benefit is the feeling of control and trust you gain when you exercise, push and refine your body on a regular basis. You feel more in control of every aspect ofyour life - your eating, your work, your relationships - when you develop the discipline to do something good and virtuous each day. And you begin to trust in yourself. You see, you've made a promise, a commitment to yourself, and you are fulfilling it. What a wonderful thing! You'll know you're experiencing the genuine thing when, once in awhile, you get that feeling of liberation.You feel it in your chest, your lungs, and your heart. It's a feeling of liberation and freedom that, ironically, discipline brings.

You Can Do It!

from the Karen Van Ness Newsletter

Luna's Note: Be certain to get your doctor's "OK" prior to beginning any exercise program. This is especially important for those who have been sedentary.