Balance
BALANCE AND DISCIPLINE
Many of today's conversations include discussions about the balance of everyday life, spiritual work and physical fitness. Sometimes we can go overboard with certain aspects of life and become unbalanced in our daily walk. There are many activities that keep us busy today; family, friends, career, technology, sports etc. It's not easy to grow spiritually in today's society where most of life seems to rotate around money, power and influence.
Over two decades ago I decided it was important for me to
grow spiritually. No longer would I allow society, the media or fast
paced technology to dictate the order of my life. To be able to grow
spiritually I needed to become more introspective; to look closely at my thoughts,
feelings, beliefs and motivations, to become more objective in a self-forgiving
way and focus on the areas that required improvement.
Growing spiritually has given my life direction and purpose, a meaning.
Realizing we are all connected helped me become more humble and respectful of
all people and all things in nature. Finding the balance of spiritual maturity,
caring for family, financial goals and physical health is a process I find
extremely rewarding.
A friend of mine once said to me, "food is overrated." Well, I had to disagree with her; food is not overrated to me! I love food! I am ecstatic when I eat foods that taste good to me. You may have heard the expression, "you are what you eat", well, needless to say, I don't really want to look like the cow my hamburger came from. I try to eat a healthy variety of foods to help protect myself from certain diseases. Basically, if you eat right everyday, you'll not only look better, you'll feel better too!
Here's the deal in a nut shell; read your food labels and know what they mean. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, organic, if possible (wash them with soap and water before consuming). Drink plenty of filtered water, go easy on the alcohol and prescription (or over the counter) drugs. The primary goal is to stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
Physical activity can be your best friend regarding long term health. My activity of choice is tennis; I play nearly every day! Perhaps you prefer to work out in the gym, or in your home or play soccer or swim. No matter your preference, the main idea is to establish an exercise for which you can make time to do and just do it! The benefits of being physically active may be able to:
- Improve self esteem and feeling of well being.
- Help build and maintain, bones, muscles and joints
- Enhance flexibility and posture
- Control blood pressure
- Lower risk of heart disease, colon cancer and type 2 diabetes
- Help maintain weight
- Reduce feelings of depression and anxiety
