Our body - A gift from God !

When in balance, our body is one of the finely tuned instruments in creation. The moment we appreciate our human body as a miracoulus gift from God we feel naturally moved to take better care of it.

And however our body may look, whether it pleases us or not, we get only one, and it lasts a lifetime. To put this another way, our lifetime only lasts as long as our body. And the quality of that lifetime will parallel the quality of our body. During life, with all its cycles, we will say good-bye to friends and loved ones; we will lose a lot of things, but our body, loyal to the end, will stick with us for life - guaranteed. When this truth penetrates fully, we begin to take good care of our "best friend": Our body !

So what are the precise benefits of physical exercise ? And how can I get into it ?

Exercise strengthen muscles, including the heart; it expands our lung volume, increasing oxygen supply to our brain, other organs and all our cells; and it stimulates our nervous system.

In addition to these well-known physiological benefits, exercise clears blocked emotional energies and also raises our metabolic fire, developing an artificial fever that helps purify the body of toxins, making it less hospitable to invading bacteria and viruses.

Those of us who do move regularly know the secret: Physical activity can expand our energy field and can often invigorate us far more than a nap or a rest. Phyisical exercise also stimulates endorphins, the body´s natural painkillers and relaxants.

Not everyone has to compete in athletics or even pursue intense fitness activities to enjoy the benefits of physical training. Appropriate kinds of training exist for every body, every age, and every level of condition.

Fitness and vitality used to refer to brute power, size or muscularity. That´s not the case any more. For instance, lifting weights can build strength, but if we lose our sense of proportion, we end up building more muscles than we need. Muscles weigh more than fat, so we end up carrying around extra weight that serves no useful function.

An excerpt from the book "No ordinary moments" - Dan Millman