A life well lived is full of gracious exchanges, information gained, love shared and healthy, active bodies. We want to keep ourselves living up to the potential that we have. People have a tendency to make out aging as a curse, and while it is true that life after 40 presents some challenges in regards to our aging bodies, we can still be just as full of life energy and spark than at any other time in our lives, relative to our physical bodies. If we engage in a mind and body work out, our fitness levels increase and we can combat the challenges of aging from the inside out.

High energy people meet life more and accept with enthusiasm the things that life presents them. They work out their problems and take charge of their fitness and they bring new activities into their life. People with low energy seem to have more problems and more drama in general, lead more lethargic lives and have poor heath. Perhaps it isn’t because they are unhealthy that they have no energy, but it is because they have no energy that they are unhealthy. So how do we create more energy in our lives?

• Love what you do. The things that you do that you enjoy are precious. Enjoy them with intention. Love how much you are doing them. When you are engaged in something that you don’t love, remember that your life is amazing, and be grateful for it. Getting stuck in negative emotions like resentment or disappointment are big energy zappers.

• Visualize. Imagine connecting with the life force energy that moves through us and all things and imagine this life force energy pouring into you from the ethers, filling you up from head to toe and spilling out around you. Do it often and with gratitude for the life that you have been given.

• Open your heart. The heart is the core of our personal magnetic field. It needs a regular work out and it’s fitness is paramount. Take care of it mentally and physically. Let the love in through focused, positive personal relationships and through aerobic exercise and pure water. Take emotions seriously. It is no coincidence that heart disease is such a deadly killer. How loving and open are most people in the world today?

Give yourself a full mind and body work out and maximize your fitness levels. It really has as much to do with attitude as anything else. No one but you can make these changes, and they come from within before they show up in your physical life.

I’ve been talking about how Vital Living is not just about exercise.  Sure you could say you have a fit body if you have the measurements, muscle definition, and energy you desire but are you happy? Vital Living is about building a complete package of other vital components along with exercise and nutrition.  I developed my Vital Living Principles for life with the body symbolizing a Greek temple.  

1. Vital health and fitness
2. Inner Self
3. Relationships

You might wonder what “ancient fitness and health tips” are and you might even laugh at the title but these health practices from “ancient” societies are just as applicable today as they were a millennium ago.  

Spartans – The key to the Spartan ripped body was to restrict caloric intake and perform functional exercises with primitive tools and methods only.  For instance, the Spartans used their own body weight and the body weight of partners to resist their body against while performing a certain exercise.

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Are you new to fitness and don’t have any idea where to start? It can be confusing and difficult to figure out what you should be doing and how much and how hard you should be working out.  Typically, to get the maximum benefit from your workouts you should workout at least 5 to 6 times a week. But don’t freak out!  This doesn’t mean that every work out has to be a gut wrenching sweat fest. 

The very first thing you need to determine is YOUR goal and what YOU want to accomplish.  Not someone else’s ideal of what you need.  Maybe you have talked to your doctor and you need to lose 10 pounds or maybe you have a goal of running in a half marathon. You don’t go about those goals the same way.  For a half-marathon you need to build up your running endurance and you need to fuel your body correctly to have the energy to run the miles.  To lose 10 pounds you need to ramp up your cardio workouts and have a balanced diet.

Usually for my beginning clients I start with goals. Then I figure out what fitness program that I offer fits their goals. We then start slow for many reasons but the main one being that you don’t want your body to be sore and then you won’t want to get out of bed in the morning!  Then we ramp it up and move on up to really fulfilling your goals.  So a slow start is working out 2 to 3 times a week. With this slow beginning you won’t see results fast but you will build up good habits of working out.  When comfortable with the 2 to 3 workouts then move it on up to 4 to 5 days, and so on. (more…)

Everything is energy. There is nothing that is not created from pure energy and everything in creation requires energy to maintain itself and to grow. Spiritual energy can come in the form of meditation or moments of clarity. Imagine enlightenment as the addition of energy, or the ‘light’ of conscious awareness, elevating our perspective and helping us evolve. This is how we bond with Source.

A relationship between two people is an exchange of energy between all aspects of each whole person’s being. Our emotion directs our energy. This is how we bond with others. Physical energy such as aerobic exercise infuses our physical body with vitality and strength. When we have more energy, we bond more fully with our selves. These are the three pillars of Vital Living.

Aerobic exercise is the perfect physical compliment to our lives and is essential if we are to feel healthy and strong or if we are overcoming illness because it involves more low intensity movement and stimulation, rather than all out ferocious, heart pumping dedication. Activities such as bicycling and martial arts, belly dancing and jogging are all perfect examples of this.

Each one is a discipline in itself, provides enjoyment, and requires focus and concentration. Each on engages and raises the heart rate and requires us to change our breathing and to take in more oxygen. These activities can also contribute to the other two pillars of vital living, relationship or community and reflection of self.

In balancing these three cornerstones of relationship, self and health, aerobic exercise can be adopted in a form that best serves the individual and their interests in all three areas, making the best use of their time and energy. One way to reinforce this balance in our lives is to choose well our hobbies and recreation. Sitting in front of the television or the computer all of the time are not going to get your heart rate elevated.

Make the most of your time by finding an activity that you can be passionate about that includes a sense of community and shared information. In these choices we will create our life as we go along, with intention and focus, nurturing our growth and our passions.

Aerobic Exercise has such great benefits that it is hard to deny. Weight loss is perhaps the most important benefit, as that alone contributes significantly to the reduction of diseases and illnesses. If living a healthy life free of major diseases is your aim, then incorporating aerobic exercise into your lifestyle at least three times per week for twenty minutes has benefits that cannot be overstated.

Create a masterful life filled with “Power, Passion and Vitality. Forever!”
with Dennis Croll’s effective eBooks and home fitness programs.