Balancing Our Lives

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

31 Jul 2006 04:00 PM

Fitness is more than just exercising regularly. In fact, fitness is about balancing the body, the mind and the self. These three areas are what we need to take into consideration when we are caring for ourselves. This balance begins with the mind. It is a complex and powerful part of ourselves. It desires knowledge and mental stimulation.

We can find mental stimulation through:

• Reading books and newspapers
• Watching educational programming
• Taking classes
• Doing crosswords and puzzles
• More

It's important that no matter what your exercise and fitness goals are that you keep your mind active and stimulated. When you do this, you encourage your other goals, specifically those related to your body and self.

Your Body

The fitness of your body as stated many times requires a health both internally and externally. When you can't see your internal organs, it may be easy to ignore them and not worry about how they are doing with what you throw at them. Granted, you can see your external body and you can make changes such as regular exercise and making better choices to improve your physical look, but if it doesn't benefit your internal organs as well - you have a problem.

Just like you should never judge a book by its cover, you cannot judge someone's internal health by their external appearance. An overweight person can have a fantastic set of heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. They can be in great health, but just carrying too much body fat. By that same token, the size 3 model could have a troubled heart and internal organs due to her low body weight and lack of healthy eating.

Therefore, remember - skinny doesn't mean healthy and overweight doesn't mean unhealthy.

Your Self

The self is a very private and personal part of ourselves. It is what houses our spiritual fitness as well as our mental and physical well-being. The self also takes into account the important factors in our life including our familuy, our career and our personal dreams and ideas. When we are deeply unhappy, many of those problems are rooted in the self. Those problems may be reflected in our self-image and related to our physical and mental well-being, but taking care of yourself and taking care with how you spend your time and making good on self-promises can go a long way to balancing fitness in your life.

How are you doing today?

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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