The biggest deficiency of all I see is a deficiency of Vitamin E – Exercise!
The most healing thing you can do for yourself on all levels is to make a regular commitment to exercise. As you move your body on a daily basis, you will discover for yourself profound changes in your mind, body and spirits.
Although I give very precise personalized recommendations for our clients in fitness, nutrition and healing, you can boil down my top recommendation for exercise to this simple statement: Find ways of moving that move your soul and you’ll never work out a day in your life.
Our colleague Tom Biancalana in Chicago has recently fallen in love with barefoot water skiing. Henry Edmunds, the Total Fitness business manager, can’t wait to plan his next snow camping trip, where he’ll be cross country skiing into the wilderness and building an igloo with his friends. James says he likes anything that can be done in half an hour – weights, corrective stretching or balance maneuvers – to fit into his busy schedule. On any given week, my personal exercise program may include the staples of walking, weight lifting, practicing yoga and qi gong, and the compliments of Pilates, gyrotonics, T-Tapp, bike riding, rebounding, hiking or backpacking. I have always loved to move and include some form of movement – usually an hour a day, six days a week.
Many people have some excuse not to exercise but do so any way by finding ways to make exercise therapeutic. Our colleague Nina Lynn is an accomplished Tango dancer in Los Angeles, even though she has suffered from severe scoliosis most of her life. Even when I have been sick at times in my life, I have been able to make myself feel better by practicing qi gong, the Tibetan rites, rebounding or going for an easy walk.
This summer, in the extreme Atlanta heat of over 100 degree temperatures, I saw the consequence with many clients of what happens when people stop moving. When you don’t move your body regularly and consistently, your lymph system stagnates, your metabolism stalls, your digestive system becomes sluggish and you feel exhausted and heavy from poor circulation.
If this sounds like you, call me up and I will introduce you to many forms of exercise until you find something that moves your soul.
Just as we want you to develop a healthy relationship with food, we also want you to develop a healthy relationship with exercise.
When I exercise, I always stop if anything hurts. In fact, I choose to move only in ways that actually feel good – both during and afterwards. I move in ways that actually generate energy, so I have more energy than many clients half my age. In fact, the way I exercise always feels so good that even if I feel bad – either mentally, emotionally or physically – I know I can make myself feel better through movement. I realize that I have a larger exercise vocabulary than most people – I know how to stretch to correct any postural misalignment, which yoga postures would open a certain chakra and what kind of movements light up a certain acupuncture meridian, You too can develop this healthy relationship with exercise by simply tuning in to what feels good. Many people fail to develop this healthy relationship with exercise because they believe exercise has to hurt to be effective, or that they have to exhaust themselves to burn calories or achieve the toned look they really want.
Remember the Body Building Equation developed by Frank Zane, three-time Mr. Olympia: B= ExAxRxN
Your Body equals your exercise times your attitude times your rest times your nutrition.
Your exercise lights the fire. It provides the catalyst to make the changes you really want. You can take all the supplements you want, eat organic food, and great healing work, but you’ll never achieve true health until you find the ways of moving that suit you. You’ll know when you have found it when you can’t wait to enjoy your exercise.