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Body Joy
It's midafternoon and I'm feeling the itch to move my body, but instead I return phone calls, wipe the kitchen counter, sort my daughter Lilly's school papers. I haven't really moved in almost two weeks, at least in any meaningful way, and I'm in...

Dieting Effects – Smoking
So you want to lose weight, but you still refuse to quit smoking. Not a good idea. Too many times we get caught up in taking the easy way out of our troubles. We want to lose weight through crash diets, not develop a healthy lifestyle. Most...

I Am Really Worried About The Future
I am really worried about the future. I am 54 years of age, my daughter, who I have brought up on my own since she was two, is about to start university, my mother isn't getting any younger, my pension fund is not going to produce what I...

Jain Religion as a World Religion
The universality of a religion can be assessed on the basis of the following six points: 1. God, man the world 2. Intuitional perceptions or direct experience 3. Ethics and path of spiritual practice 4. Rituals and regular observances ...

Sleep Meds Consumed in Record Numbers
Between 2000 and 2004, the use of sleep medications doubled among adults aged 20-44. But the use of such medications among children aged 10 to 19 also went up by 85 percent. And money spent on such drugs within that age group was up 223...

 
FITNESS - It's for the whole person - not just the body

So few people recognize that true fitness involves the entire human being; this includes the body, the mind and the spirit. Today's fitness minded society easily gives a plethora of choices and options when it comes to getting fit.

Interestingly enough, when an individual makes the decision to start becoming fit, they usually start with the body. However, on more occasions than one, when the body starts to feel better through exercise, the mind and spirit also benefit. The conclusion is that by exercising one part of the whole, the rest will also tend to move towards a more healthy and fit state as well. Let's take a look at what activities can be used to bring fitness to each level of being.

Mental Fitness: It goes without saying that one of the most serious culprits to destroying the mind's ability to function optimally is stress. To bring about mental fitness, stress must be eliminated as thoroughly as possible. Yoga, meditation, relaxation techniques, and visualization techniques are all methods to decrease the negative effects of stress on the mind. Other forms of mental gymnastics include education in general. Learning and exploring your world will exercise your mind more than watching TV.

Spiritual Fitness: Spiritual fitness can be accomplished in a similar fashion to mental fitness; through meditation, relaxation, prayer and spiritual contemplation. The focus in spiritual fitness is to become aware of the spirit and its needs and giving it the quiet time necessary to accomplish its goals.

Physical Fitness: Today's world offers a wide variety of physical activities from aerobics to swimming, biking to mountain climbing, and walking to canoeing. Attempt to engage the body in some sort of physical movement 3-5 times per week at least 30 minutes each session. The release of tension and stress, not to mention toxic build up will benefit all levels of the person. The addition of muscle and decrease of fat on the body will also bring about an increase in overall fitness.

What is important to remember is that fitness is not just a physical quality, it involves the entire person; body, mind and spirit.

About the Author
Rachel Dayer runs and operates MustAsk Network , a health related portal.

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