Lifetime Home Fitness

Does aging occur faster in sedentary individuals?

Research shows those with a more active lifestyle, including regular exercise, seem to be biologically younger. Researchers from a Kings College study, on over two thousand twins, found DNA pieces known as telomeres were much shorter in sedentary individuals. Researches believe that shorter telomeres may be linked to faster aging. In fact, the study findings indicate that most active individuals had telomere length that was comparable to the telomere length of inactive individuals who were a decade younger.

What does all this mean? Individuals who are active are less vulnerable to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Study results seem to indicate that individuals with an active lifestyle do not age as fast as sedentary individuals. In fact, study results pointed to a quicker aging process for inactive individuals. The Kings College study proves that adults with a regular exercise program are biologically younger than sedentary adults.

However, not all physicians are sure of a direct link between a regular exercise and an anti-aging effect. Dr. Jack Gurainik, of the National Institute of Aging, believes that more research will be needed to prove a direct correlation between regular exercise and aging. He went on to suggest that there are other biological factors that may explain the differences found between active and inactive study participants.

So while the medical profession does more research to reach an agreement on the exact effect exercise has on aging, all medical professionals seem to agree that regular exercise and healthy diet are important to overall health.

In maintaining an effective home fitness program, there is a formula which has assisted me. The formula is called the Paradox Principle. The Paradox Principle has four areas which must be honestly addressed in the development of any home fitness program. Those four steps are Awareness; Vision; Strategy; and, Execution. Below find a brief overview about each step of the Paradox Principle:

1. Paradox Principle - Awareness: The main question to ask yourself is “Do I get it”? In other words, do I have a complete understanding of what is involved in maintaining a home fitness program? Do you fully understand that this must be a regularly scheduled activity? What home exercises best meet your health needs?  Be aware you will never totally “get it” so always keep learning.

2. Paradox Principle - Vision: Here your question should be “Can I see it”? Do you have a vision of what the end, or outcome, looks like with your home fitness program?

3. Paradox Principle - Strategy: “Do I know what to do?” is the question to ask in this home fitness step. Here a few of the questions you need to answer? Make sure you have your home fitness program written out for you to physically see.  Don’t leave it to your memory to recall all the details. More importantly, the success rate is statistically proven to increase when your home fitness program is in writing.

4. Paradox Principle - Execution: “Will I get it done”? Having completion dates for each of your strategies is essential. Too often strategies are written but no date of when it will be executed is stated. By not putting a completion date on any of your home exercises, you will find that many will never get completed because there is no “urgency” placed on it and improvement in your home fitness will suffer.

Obviously, there are many more questions within the Paradox Principle that must be addressed but that will be saved for another article. The main point now is to know if these four steps are followed your chances of having a successful home fitness program will increase dramatically.

Self-Esteem Improvement
Start now before it is too late!

One of the most important traits to maintaining a consistent home fitness program is to have a strong self esteem. Having a home fitness program has many ups and downs each day. If you are not confident in yourself and the goals you are striving to achieve, your home fitness program will not last long. The way you think about yourself impacts how you interact with others. If you are determined to improve your self esteem, you are on your way to great achievement and improved health.

What are some examples of low self esteem and ways to improve?

1. Nothing you do seems to go right?
How often do you feel a decision made is the wrong one. So what? You are going to make decisions from time to time that are not the best ones. Learn from them, don’t dwell on them. Expect to make mistakes! If you don’t make mistakes, you are either the luckiest person alive or you aren’t doing anything. The same is true with a home fitness program. Make a plan on what home exercises you will do each day and stick to it. After a time, if you find some of the home exercises are too hard or don’t meet what you are attempting to accomplish, then modify your home workout. Study what is working and what is not, and make adjusts accordingly. You will see dramatic changes in the success of your home fitness program and in your self esteem.

2. You feel swallowed up in a whirlpool of frustration.
Stop thinking that the world is closing in on you. Get determined to achieve what you desire, including with your home fitness program. Stop blaming other people for your misfortunes. Take responsibility and improve your self esteem. The world is not your problem, you are your own problem. A good motto is, “Don’t be part of the problem, be part of the solution”. If you look to find solutions, the whirlpool of frustration rapidly disappears and your self esteem will soar.

3. I could never accomplish that!

From this moment on, begin the process of self esteem improvement. Think the right way, be determined to win, and win you will.  This includes a consistent home fitness program. Just remember success never comes easily and that is why determination is its counterpart. One often gets to the brink of success and with just a little disappointment or setback, they lose heart, give up too easily and too soon and their self esteem plummets. You will find this true as you progress with your home fitness program.  Stay with your home exercises! Who knows what great things might have been achieved if you only had persevered. Without a high self esteem, your life will be rather boring. You have to seriously decide either to remain in a miserable state of low self esteem, or acquire self esteem improvement and develop a high self esteem with good character and self image. Change your thinking, begin to see yourself on top of the world, no matter what it takes and your self esteem will soar.