6 POWERFUL FORMS OF EXERCISE

6 POWERFUL FORMS OF EXERCISE

1. WALKING

Because we domesticated dogs, we now take them for walks to help make up for the fact that they aren't walking nearly as much as they did in the past. And because we humans have also become a lot more sedintary and we do almost all of our traveling in vehicles now, we too would benefit by adding some walking back into our lives.

Not only is walking one of the healthiest forms of physical exercise, but it is also great for our mental health as well. (Especially if you are walking outdoors in a natural setting and you are disconnected from the media.)

In fact, walking can be so mentally stimulating that you may find that you start to become a philosopher while you are walking, and if you are a creative person, you may even find that your best ideas and solutions come to you while walking.

2. YOGA

You may not remember this, but on the day you were born you were more physically flexible than the most advanced yogi in the world, and a regular yoga practice is the best way to help you regain this flexibility.

In the 76th verse of the "Tao Te Ching", it says that all life (including the trees and the plants) are soft and flexible at birth, and hard and stiff at death. Therefore, "flexibility" is a companion of life, and "stiffness" is a companion of death.

Physical postures that help us become more physically flexible are a part of most yoga practices, but yoga is ultimately about the realization that we have more in common with each other than we don't and that we need to come together and help unify a world that is divided because it is focusing only on our differences.

But in the meantime, I would encourage you to get started on this epic journey by simply getting yourself a yoga mat and starting a yoga practice NOW.

3. WEIGHTLIFTING

Regardless of whether you want to lose weight or gain weight, weightlifting is one of the best ways to "sculpt" your body.

To build a new building (or a new body) you will need the following 3 basic things...

BLUEPRINT
If you workout with the vague goal of "wanting to get in shape" it would be like construction workers showing up at a construction site with the vague goal of "wanting to build a building", and it can't be stressed enough how important it is to have a clear vision of exactly what you are wanting to build.

SKILLS
If you want to build something with speed, precision, and safety, you need to know how to use the tools and equipment that are available to you.

Even the wisest person has something to learn, and we all need to be reminded of what we already know from time to time. So even if you are already an experienced weightlifter, I would encourage you to watch tutorial videos on how to lift weights with proper form on a regular basis.

DECONSTRUCTION
Before you can build a new building, the old one must first be torn down, and before you can build a new body, the old habits that are keeping you stuck where you're at must first be demolished so that major reconstruction can truly begin. Weightlifting is not only an effective way to become physically stronger, but it can also help you become a lot more mentally disciplined which will help you become strong enough to break bad habits and change your life for the better.

4. HOT & COLD EXPOSURE

Some of us are old enough to have had grandparents who would tell us that back when they were kids they would have to walk several miles to school every day even if there was a foot of snow on the ground. And rather than complaining that they had such a harder life than kids today have, they would complain that kids today have such an easy life that it is resulting in a softer and weaker generation.

Animals in nature have to endure extreme temperature changes, and this helps keep them not only tough, but alive, because in nature, only the tough survive.

By exposing your body to hot and cold temperatures, your body can become more accustomed to them and safer from their potentially harmful effects.

Every year, thousands of people who work outdoors will end up in the emergency room due to heat-related illnesses. But it's important to note that in almost all of these cases, the people were new to the job and simply weren't used to that kind of heat.

I have a home sauna that is 90 degrees Celsius / 192 degrees Fahrenheit which I use every day. (I like to use it right before yoga so my body will be warmed up and loosened up for all the stretching.) I also have a good pair of snow shoes and still go for my daily one-hour walk in the wintertime regardless of how cold it gets or how much snow is on the ground.

If I only went for a walk on the days when the weather was ideal, there would be a lot of days when I woudn't walk due to it being too hot, or too cold, or because it was raining or snowing. But by consistantly going on walks regardless of the weather, and by just doing it and not spending even a moment of time procrastinating about it, my discipline continues to get stronger over time.

Being able to endure harsh weather will help you to become the kind of person who doesn't easily give up in challenging situations, which can dramatically increase your future potential.

5. JUMPING ON A TRAMPOLINE

In the same way that young children enjoy jumping on their beds, or that astronauts enjoy doing somersaults in space, jumping on a trampoline is a really fun way of experiencing weightlessness.

Jumping on a trampoline is so much fun, that once I get started, I don't want to stop, and I seriously question whether or not someone could be jumping on a trampoline and feel depressed at the same time.

Antidepressants are currently the most prescribed drug in America, but recent studies have suggested that exercise can be just as effective at reducing depression as many of the leading brands of antidepressants, so if you're feeling down, see if jumping on a trampoline doesn't "uplift" you and provide you with a natural "high".

6. GET A WORKOUT BY DOING THINGS THE HARD WAY

Try to imagine just how utterly unnecessary something like a treadmill would have been to our ancient ancestors.

Our ancient ancestors didn't need gyms, barbells, or exercise programs because physical exercise was involved in so much of their daily lives, and a great way to get in better shape is to simply start doing things the old-fashioned way.

We've all heard advice like this over the years...

* Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

* Walk to places that are nearby instead of driving to them.

* Do your own yard work instead of paying someone else to do it for you.

Taking on this mentality will result in lots of additional exercise that will add up over time and transform who you are as a person.

I personally would much rather have a job now where I was on my feet for 8 hours and doing a lot of lifting and walking around than a job where I was sitting for 8 hours (even if the sitting job paid more money) because although money is valuable to me, I realize now that physical exercise is valuable to me as well.

Sadly, a lot of people die shortly after they retire, and this is often because they are no longer getting all of the physical exercise that they used to get when they were working, and because they are now living much more sedentary lives.

I've had much older co-workers over the years who were able to out-work most 20-year-olds despite being 50 years older than them, and this is because they spent decades having physically demanding jobs that kept them in great shape.

Being able to outperform people young enough to be your children, grandchildren, or even great-grandchildren is a superpower that money can't buy. You have to work for this ability by working hard and by realizing and appreciating all of the additional benefits that come through hard work beyond just a paycheck.

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