New Year's Exercise resolution

I've seen several posts from friends committing to losing weight or "getting in shape." In a couple of instances, they discuss using sports as exercise, because it is "fun." Yes...but competitive or complex activities are not ideal for basic fitness. They are EXPRESSIONS of fitness. "Weekend athletes" damage themselves constantly by not understanding this. They used to be able to get away with it when they were teenagers, and can't understand why it doesn't work now. Here's a good syntax that WILL work.

1) Meditation or journaling. You need to take a break to center yourself, listen to what is happening inside you. If you are attempting to lose an amount of weight that would make another human being, it is reasonable to expect that serious emotional "stuff" will come up for you in the process. Get ready for it.

2) Joint recovery. These exercises take little time, but if done regularly (every day) will help heal and prevent any number of back, knee and shoulder problems. Going to YouTube and looking up "Sonnon Intu-Flow" will aim you at a number of excellent mini-programs.

3) NOW you're ready for your exercise. Minimum? Something like the Five Tibetans.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Tib.... Start at only three repetitions per day of each. That will take you about 5 minutes. Add NO MORE than one or two reps per week of each, until you reach 21 repetitions. That will take you to only about 10-15 minutes a day.

4) NOW you can practice your sport safely, with increasing capacity. Hiking, martial arts, ice skating, salsa dancing...oh, the possibilities are endless!

5) Yoga-style stretching AFTER your sport. Even sixty seconds of conscious work here will help align your skeletal structure, which HAS been slightly misaligned by your sport, trust me. No way to avoid it, unless you have perfect form...which no one has.

That's the micro program. The entire thing can be executed in under 20 minutes a day, and will add years to your life, and life to your years.


Steve
www.diamondhour.com