Motivation
Exercise should never be disruptive to your
daily schedule or to any other aspect of your life, your bank balance,
say, or your diet (although you should increase your intake of water to
at least eight glasses per day). If you are spending undue personal time
dreading or preparing for exercise, perhaps you've picked the wrong activity.
Exercise should work naturally into your day and it should function, ultimately
as a release. Make it a mind/body experience - while you move, focus on
releasing any physical stress in your body. As you stride, introduce a
mantra - a short, meaningful statement - repeated over and over again quietly
to yourself. Doing this will keep you fit and clear in your head.
Relaxation
All forms of exercise should begin with relaxation.
Shutting the mind off from the events and stresses of the day will allow
you to focus on what's important - an hour of personal time that benefits
your mind and body. Relaxation enables you to exercise effectively and
efficiently. A mind that is focused on the body will safely direct it through
any workout.
Coach yourself through your own relaxation
process. Lie on a comfortable mat for a while in silence. Ease tension
away from your body by relaxing and then contracting all of its main muscles.
Start by tilting your neck back and forth. Next, move down your body, Shrug
your shoulders a few times. Tense and release your arms. Hold the tension
for 5 seconds and then release. Follow the same route with your legs and
your feet.
Breathing
A good way to judge whether your body is fully
relaxed is by listening to your breathing. 'Become aware of your breath,'
a yoga instructor will announce at the start of a class. Yoga encourages
participants to view breath as an energy source that can deliver positive,
natural power. Energy flows through the body as you inhale. Focusing on
the breath within your body will direct new, positive energy to areas which
feel stiff and tense. Exhalation should deliver the ultimate release.
Once you become accustomed to deep breathing
- becoming aware of your breath - you use more of your lungs. Oxygenated
blood will pump effectively to all of the organs, revitalising them and
eliminating toxins. While you are relaxing, stretching and exercising,
try not to hold your breath. Blocked breath inhibits the revitalising benefits
the body achieves through breathing and stretching.
Stretching
Statistics may show that fewer people are
exercising today. But more people are actually stretching. Most health
clubs now offer a range of stretch-derived exercise classes - yoga, pilates,
stretch and tone and Lotte Berk. And the attendance at these classes shows
that they are as popular as aerobics. Why? Stretching classes are easy
to follow and can be performed by anyone, regardless of age, ability or
shape. Concentration is required, but co-ordination is not really necessary.
And competition is absent from stretch classes because mental focus is
important. Because it is of utmost importance to stretch the body and hold
it properly, focusing your attention on someone else is practically impossible.
Regular stretching encourages the body to move
back to its natural alignment, so the three main body weights are balanced
over one and other. Aerobics and other cardiovascular exercise classes
may burn fat, but stretching also enables the participant to become more
balanced and flexible. Yogic stretches, for example, have a positive effect
on bodily functions we normally think of as involuntary - the heart rate,
the metabolism and blood pressure. While aerobic exercise speeds up these
process, stretching while breathing deeply will do the opposite. At the
end of a stretch workout you feel relaxed and energised.
