Calming our inner self, responding to challenges rationally and without judgement is possible only when we are physically in good health.
We know, if we have had enough sleep, exercised and had healthy meals, we feel “good.” Likewise, when we spend an evening perhaps in the company of friends or family, indulging a little more in food or wine, we feel….well…GREAT!
Feeling GREAT comes from being able to experience life how we choose when we have good health.
It is here we need to find our balance in mental health (feeling great) and physical health (being good).
We cannot feel right if our body’s health is not maintained. In this context “good” is an action, “great” is a reaction.
Newton’s Law for fitness
Newton’s Third Law “every action has an equal and opposite reaction” can be applied to help understand what it means to be healthy and fit. Because a “Bad Action” (drinking too much) cannot be the opposite of a “Good Action.” (daily exercise). The opposite of “bad” as an action is regret as a reaction.
In simple terms;
No one ever regrets the good action of exercise. Exercise is fundamental to our body’s health. It can then follow, that life with with daily exercise, is a life with no regrets. It is living life without regret that brings us into balance with love and joy.
Let go of regret
Letting go of regret can be very difficult. It involves the understanding that we cannot change the past, but we can focus on what we can do today to have a positive impacting on our future.
The best small step to improve fitness is to commit to (for example) 9 minutes of daily exercise. It can be as simple as marching on the spot daily before breakfast.
Further, making tiny mindset changes will help bring into effect a new perspective on health and fitness. Here are four you can start to think about today:
- Accept you are human, you can miss a workout, and you can exercise at another time during the day.
- Abandon negative self-talk. It is not helpful to ponder “should have” scenarios in your head. It will not change your past. Self-deprecation will trap you in the misery of feeling hopeless.
- Focus on gratitude and start a journal. Tick your exercise when done and write something each day you value and appreciate. By spending time and energy, thinking about the positives in your life will invoke feelings of wellbeing and make exercise easier.
- Genuinely apologize and forgive yourself. The thought of self-forgiveness may seem overwhelming at first. Regret can become a misguided painkiller. When regret becomes an addiction, it seeks out fresh wounds for its “buzz” for example binge eating chocolate. To break the cycle of creating wounding experiences to regret, then both the wound and its painkiller (regret) will have to be allowed to “expire” with self-forgiveness.
There is a concept of achievable balance, where we live in harmony with our highest values without effort. It is a nice idea but is out of step with reality. Balance in life begins with daily exercise; it is the only way to reach sustainable mental and physical wellbeing.
Start exercising today by downloading your beginner 9 minute, Cardio, Core and Strength workout with the link below.
Live well with Health and WELLth!
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