exercise, exercise, exercise

Exercise Exercise Exercise

I recently encountered a  set back that taught me a very valuable lesson. It gave me a lot to think about and momentary glimpses into what I could have, should have, and wanted to have done. I decided to go back into  vigorous exercising that I had initiated  more than a year go, after having not done any in a fairly long time . I had quickly reaped the rewards with excellent muscle build up, tone and physique appearance. Then the baby came along 4 months ago and everything stalled. Excuses galore imbedded themselves into my psyche. "I don't have enough time" " Oh if I go back to exercising now I am going to neglect my duties" " I am too tired" " oh if I only had  more time" This last one was funny for a chap who manages his time with furious productivity and streamlined efficiency. In any event, the rewards of NOT going to the gym were quickly realized as you might imagine, with the loss of all the above. Stamina, strength, tone, agility all turned into mush and I ended up with the core of an earth worm in the matter of 4 months. My folly had taken over my life. No more. I put away my mindsets and jumped right back in. Needless to say that pushing a car up a steep hill would probably have been easier. Work in progress. Enough said. Let's move on. 

This mindset of lack of exercise was more like a weed than anything else. It permeated through my consciousness with such rapidity that before I even awoke from my  stupor  I had other habits that had been corrupted, such as meditating, eating healthier, staying focussed and permeate a peaceful demeanor at all times. My mind, body and spirit had all been effected. Once I had interrupted my steadfast practice of meditation I was much a akin to a feather in the wind being tossed around in all directions with the slightest of breezes. No sooner had I fallen off the wagon of disciplined dietary control, all the toxicities that I had taken so much time to eliminate were back, and not just returned but more so back with a vengeance and tenacity of a ravenous animal. Alas I found my spirit floating around like a buoy in the vast ocean, just bobbing around staying afloat yet not going anywhere. 

Fed up once again at the total disarray of my three Selves I decided to get everyone back in line. I used the mantra "exercise, exercise, exercise." Each part of me had to work with this idea. Exercising the muscles of the body with regular gym participation strengthened the  body once more. Disciplined dietary control coupled with mindfulness helped aide the body's restorative efforts. Tireless efforts of regaining mental synchrony was the next exercise that my mind had to undertake. Regularly and a few minutes at a time of meditation and daily calm practices,   paid enormous dividend in the end.  With mind and body exercising away, my spirit could do little but gleefully join in with the exercising "kick." The mind, the consciousness, the spirit all need the same "exercise" of those individualized  muscles to keep them toned and active, and moreover strong. It is very easy to become complacent and weaken all my efforts in a very short period of time. 

Agreeable that I cannot let this happen again ( which it probably will but that's ok) I continue to keep exercising my mind, my body, and my spirit regularly. The  local gym is where I exercise my body. A quiet spot each day is where I exercise my mind. The universal source is where I exercise my spirit. Exercising is hard work. Yet even harder if I fall off the wagon. Better not fall off this time is my thought. Falling off, getting back in sync, and falling off again and getting back in sync  is all just a part of a cyclical showdown of experiences I call life. Whether you are an expert or whether I am a novice, it has no bearing. What matters at least to me is that I keep these wheels of exercise moving.

Have you paid up your gym membership? Have you quietened and controlled your mind? Have you reconnected to your spirit yet? If not, keep exercising. If yes, KEEP EXERCISING.