Physical and Spiritual fitness

[isavasya]

Namaste to all the respected members,

We have known from our scriptures and also from medical science that physical health is very important for mental well being. In a way physical health can lead to better spiritual progress of an individual. I will like to know from you respected members how much time you devote to maintaining physical fitness ? What are the activities that you perform ? Yoga, exercises, workout in gym, plain meditation or brisk walking ?

I have never known what is Yoga as I have never got an opportunity to learn Yoga from any instructor. My mind is always wandering so I am unable to do meditation. I don't like going to gym as I find I don't want to give money for jumping on a machine. That's why I do a lot of walking to stay slim and fit. I am a sort of person who is never tired of walking. Everyday I walk nonstop for 2 hours at a very rapid speed. I believe walking appeals to me because I like fresh air and also it is something in which body and mind can be very dynamic. What about you my friends ?

[Sudas Paijavana]

Greetings, Mitra:

I personally believe that rigorous physical exercise (such as jogging & weightlifting) along with a very good, stable, controlled and structured diet are both very essential to becoming physically fit.

[Ganeshprasad]

Pranam

Interesting subject

Healthy body healthy mind definitely. Done a lot of sports as well as long distance running in my youth, still play badminton but like you, walking is my passion. I find chanting comes naturally when I am walking, funny enough I never walked for health reason I just love walking. I tell people we have this legs for a reason. In fact we have a group every so often we go for a long distance walk 12/15 miles.
Simple Ramdev's yoga and breathing exercise in the morning oh well that is my routine in the morning.

Jai Shree Krishna

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: I do a couple of walks a day. I can't do a ton of physical workouts because of some permanent injuries. I am 60. The best all-around low impact exercise is swimming. Boss and I swam twice daily (not hard, more just floating around, pick a boat to circle, tread water, etc.) last winter in Mauritius. We each lost 20 pounds over the three months. It didn't hurt my shoulder (one of the injuries) as long as I abstained from one particular motion. So for those who can swim and have access to it, I'd highly recommend it. You don't even know you're sweating. Here it is ridiculously expensive to swim daily. Not something i can afford.

Aum Namasivaya

[Believer]

Namaste,

As we age, our choices for activities to stay fit decrease. What was once very easy to do is not advisable later in life because all the stuff has to be low impact, so as not to abuse the joints any more. Keeping that in mind, easy walks for a couple of hours coupled with some stretching and joint exercises serve me fine. Physical exercise has to be complimented with a well rounded diet low in sugar, salt and oils/fats for a healthy body. I have had instances when someone would visit us and while making tea for them, I would find out that we had no sugar at home. That requires an emergency trip to the store. It is not the mere knowledge as to what is good for us but the will power to implement the regimen that keeps us fit. Hope we can all find out what is best for us and stick with it.

BTW, this is an interesting topic.

Pranam.

[Eastern Mind]

I would find out that we had no sugar at home.

Vannakkam: We have gone a long time without sugar. But it reminded me of my poor father, who was staying with us for a bit. He was an early riser so went to make coffee, but found only a sugar like substance in some jar ... it was salt. After that I made sure to have some on hand. Cubes store better.

Poor diet can undo much of the effects of exercise. I'm amazed how, just in 20 years, many people I know are now quite comfortable with brown rice. You can observe, over some time, the greater cultural shift in supermarkets. The junk food lanes are shorter, the health food sections are larger, and the produce section is immense. When I was young the white to brown bread ratio was probably 90 to 10, and something like multi-grain was unheard of. Now its more like 20 - 80.

Aum Namasivaya

[isavasya]

Namaskar dear members

I personally believe that rigorous physical exercise (such as jogging & weightlifting) along with a very good, stable, controlled and structured diet are both very essential to becoming physically fit.

Actually yes Sudas, weightlifting could have some real positive benefits. I feel that I need to develop some muscles as I am pretty slim. I just completed my MBA and I am returning to Delhi last week of next month. May be when I will settle down in Delhi, I will buy some weightlifting equipment and start doing it at home. Going to gym is pretty impossible for me. I am also looking to start push-ups.

walking is my passion. I find chanting comes naturally when I am walking, funny enough I never walked for health reason I just love walking. I tell people we have this legs for a reason. In fact we have a group every so often we go for a long distance walk 12/15 miles

Wow, that's great to know sir. Right now I am in 10-12 Km range, I need to challenge myself for 10-12 miles. Yes with me too spiritual reflections come more during walking. Though I don't change I do feel like contemplating on teachings of scriptures when i walk. Nice to know someone else who is passionate about walking.

Dear EM ji and Believer ji

You are completely right about diet. But I am crazy about chocolates, milkshake, ice creams, can of coke and cakes. I just can't live without having these items any day. This the reason I walk so much. I want all carbohydrate and fat to burn. Hope I will improve my diet. Thanks for your valuable suggestions.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

My mind is always wandering

... just like the other 7.1 billion people on this good earth.
Now the question is, is it really wandering or is it looking for something ? Me thinks it is looking for something.

When I think of fitness, I think of balance in body and mind. When body-and-mind are in harmony this may be called good health (as I see it).

iti śivaṁ

[Sudas Paijavana]

....
You are completely right about diet. But I am crazy about chocolates, milkshake, ice creams, can of coke and cakes.....

Isavasya, do you like Chyavanprash? It's very good for the body and definitely helps one get into shape if used with a stable and structured diet plan.

[Sahasranama]

May be when I will settle down in Delhi, I will buy some weightlifting equipment and start doing it at home. Going to gym is pretty impossible for me. I am also looking to start push-ups.

I train at home too. I have had gym memberships, but it's not convenient for my lifestyle to go to the gym regularly.

There are a few tools that are great for home workouts:

• The TRX suspension trainer. This is a versatile tool that can be used for all kinds of bodyweight exercises. The TRX is also great for stretching and mobility work.
  

• Competition Kettlebells. Kettlebells allow you to train different qualities in one workout, like strength, power, endurance and mobility. Studies have shown that people with low back and shoulder pain actually improve their condition after doing ballistic exercises with kettlebells. Ballistic Kettlebell movements can also burn a lot of calories as one study showed (20 kcal per minute).

• Ultimate Sandbag. The sandbag is great for conditioning workouts. Sandbags offer three dimensional training and build balance in the body and therefore are also great for people who are recovering from injuries. Heavier sandbags can be used for training strength and power.
  

• Barbell, Powerrack, Bench, Weights. If you want to build maximum muscle and strength nothing beats traditional weightlifting exercises with barbells. (I don't have this at home, but use these whenever I am at a gym).