People are generally becoming more aware of what is fashionably called ‘life – work balance’. The first thing that often springs to mind is how to relax better, sleep better, meditate to de-stress. All in the quest for happiness and better relationships.
How many people feel that as they are getting older or are just busy with life’s ordinary chores, “stuff” we used to do with ease is getting somewhat harder to do. We might put this down to lack of fitness since we most times don’t even take the time to go for a walk, or to just plain getting old. In some cases this may well be the case, but more often than not we are losing strength. It is the old concept of ‘use it or lose it’.
Let’s take a closer look at strength: does being strong mean one has to go to the gym and pump heavy iron? Or does it mean training hard to be able to do 20 push ups /10 chin ups? It probably does mean both of these in some way.
But wouldn’t strength be more useful if we just knew how to tap into our own body’s resources and use those in the way we were designed to in the first place? How many people these days can support their own body weight on their hands, or by hanging from their hands? How many people these days find it distinctly hard to get on the floor and – worse- get up again? These are the most fundamental skills we as humans were designed to be able to do.
And what about general lifting of heavier items – e.g. Shopping bags, bricks, pieces of hardware or furniture? And being able to do those kinds of things without injuring one’s shoulders or back?
I think it becomes apparent that we need to perhaps be a bit more deliberate about keeping strong just so we can do the ‘ordinary’ things easily and perhaps attempt some extraordinary things as well. After all those are the things that add pleasure and balance to our lives.
Benefits of keeping strong:
Better bone health:
The more muscle pull we challenge our bones with, the stronger/denser they have to become
General sense of feeling empowered:
As we become stronger we feel that we can handle things and situations better
Better mental clarity:
As we train for strength our circulation increases, thus increasing blood flow and vital oxygen to the brain
Reduced chance of injury:
When we are stronger we tend to have a better sense of balance, therefore less tendency to fall.
Also, when we are stronger and at the same time know how to use our bodies better we will instinctively connect all the necessary parts to do a particular task with far less chance of injuring ourselves.
Easier general living:
General day to day living is less tiresome as we don’t expend as much energy on everything we do.
Ability to enjoy things that are often classed as mildly strenuous:
Would you like to climb a few flights of stairs or walk uphill easier? And like to be able to keep up with the kids/grandkids?
Staying healthier:
When we have more muscle tissue (not quite like Arnie Schwartzenegger!), our metabolism copes easier with eliminating toxins and therefore the immune system can work more efficiently making us more resilient to colds etc.
Strong body- strong mind: in a strange way when we feel stronger it seems to flow over into our minds.