How many of you do some kind of regular exercise? I have found over the years that I love to start a routine and then get so into it and then one day, it just stops. Does this sound like you or are you more disciplined than me?

We all know the benefits of regular exercise and that it does give you more energy to carry on through your day than if you don’t do any at all. Being fit is something that will keep you young not just physically, but also mentally. Having a fit and healthy body is beneficial to you and those around you as it makes you feel stronger, it keeps the blood flowing through your veins, and just makes you feel better generally.

The reason I bring this up is because I ran into a friend of mine last week who is a personal trainer and he invited me to join in on a Saturday morning gym group that he runs down at our local beach. This morning was a particularly glorious day so I walked to the location which overlooks the Sandringham Yacht Club, which is beautiful in itself, and joined Marc’s group.

There would have been around twenty people in all and I wasn’t sure what I was in for, but it was fun. Marc had us warm up by breaking into four groups, two groups opposite the other, and we had to run at each other and throw a ball as we crossed the other person. If you happened to drop the ball, everyone had to drop and do ten push-ups!! I dropped the ball twice so I wasn’t very popular

Then we had a set of exercises to do at our own pace and we would come back together at the end of the hour session for some stretching. Needless to say that my poor body is aching all over now and is in great need of a massage and some more stretching.

While we were going through our routines on the foreshore, there was another group of more mature people that gathered for what seemed like some kind of meeting until they started walking around in a circle and greeting each other with curious sounds and lots of laughter. I have heard of laughter therapy before but had never seen any group making each other laugh in a public place and I thought to myself… how cool is that! Here were a bunch of 60+ year olds laughing and dancing and roaring at each other on the Sandringham foreshore! I felt like graduating over to their group just to get in on the laughter.

Reward Yourself

I bring this up because we all know the benefits of a regular exercise routine so I won’t go into that. What I do want to say is that you also don’t need to beat yourself up if you don’t keep up with something regular. When choosing to take some kind of class or going for a walk, reward yourself by taking your iPod with your favorite music, audiobook or some thing that you are researching to listen to while you are doing your exercise as you can kill two birds with one stone and you don’t have to feel guilty that you are not at home doing housework or that you are missing out on some work that needs doing.

Some of you may choose to walk to the shops rather than drive, as not only is it exercise, but it is also good for the environment. Others may choose to just run around the block first thing every morning and that is all you need. You may even have a mini-tramp that is handy to take a break throughout your day and just jump for 5 or 10 minutes at different intervals when you get writers block or get distracted and need to get focused again.

Whatever you choose is great for you. If you have a regular routine, I take my hat off to you and if you don’t, just start slowly and get going with something that you can build on. There is no right or wrong way to do this as we each have our own set of circumstances and likes and dislikes. The best thing you can do is find a way to reward yourself for having taken something on that doesn’t have to cost anything like a bubble bath or just time out for you doing your favorite thing. A massage at least once a month is a good idea though if you are going to be engaging your body in some physical routine that it is not used to.

Take care of your body because it is the only one you get in this lifetime. Take time out to laugh and play everyday. Happy exercising and have fun with it

Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice (of religious ritual). Better than knowledge is meditation. But better still is surrender of attachment to results (of one’s actions), because there follows immediate peace.

Bhagavad-Gita

I don’t know about you but I seem to get so busy at times that I almost forget to breath. Taking time out in our daily lives for a little quiet meditation is a way for us to look inside ourselves and listen for messages from our hearts and minds. It seems that we are constantly looking outside of ourselves for ways to improve but wisdom comes from within. We have all the answers that we need and taking time out for meditation and just listening is a way to find these answers.

If you are not familiar with meditation, it does take some time to actually get it and to be able to sit or lie still in a place where you will not be disturbed. I found it difficult at first to just be and not let thoughts run through my head. There are some forms of meditation whereby you listen to different levels of frequency to bring you into an alpha state so that your awareness of surrounding expands and you feel fully relaxed. Another way to learn to meditate is to stare at the flame of a candle and get into a trance-like state so that it clears your mind which then enables you to find the answers that you are searching for from within.

The best time to practice meditation is to make it a part of your morning routine. When you awake, a glass of water is a good way to re-hydrate your body after you have been sleeping for some hours as is some stretching for about 5 – 10 minutes to get your blood flowing and keep you limber. Doing this makes you feel alive after some deep slumber so it is a good practice to get yourself ready for meditation.

If you are new to this concept, just try it for a 30 seconds to one minute to start with and build on this adding more time each day.  I found this was a good way for me to learn as I tend to let my mind wander with all the tasks that I need to accomplish for the day and wonder how on earth I will fit everything in.  We all have busy schedules and taking some time out first thing in the morning is a great way to get you through the day.

Following your meditation, another thing you could do is to have a journal that you write your thoughts in day to day.  There are no rules for what you write down.  This is also a way to let things out that you may be holding onto and you will be surprised at how the ideas and answers come to you once you have written them on paper and not typed it into your laptop, LOL.  The power of simple writing is a wonderful gift to release any fears or jot your thoughts for clarification.  Even business ideas or topics for articles you want to write about on your blog.

Your journal could also be where you write down things that you are grateful for.  If you list just 5 things everyday that you are truly grateful for, this puts you in a wonderful and happy state and sets your mood for the day.  Remember in The Secret movie that if you start your day off on the wrong side of bed, it starts a pattern for the day that will continue until you change your thoughts.  Instead, if you have a morning routine that starts your day in a state of peace and gratitude, that is what you will get for the rest of the day which is what the Law of Attraction is all about. 

If any of you have more suggestions or would like to tell me your thoughts on meditation, do not hesitate to leave me a comment.   I would be more than happy to hear from you.

I want to leave you with this short Angel Meditation video with thanks to Kathy Pinna to get you into the mood and start thinking about starting your own routine.