I just finished my exercise for this evening and the endorphins are flowing, so much that I want to post about it!

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From Hater to Creator

I used to hate on people that spent their time in gyms, mostly out of ignorance. I used to think that they were all about looking good and that they were doing it for the wrong reasons.

It is true that some people are like that, especially with the gym culture we see nowadays, but that's not the real reason for exercising.

I started exercising when I hit 20. I started because I had ventured into a spiritual journey to reconnect with myself, and reconnecting with my body became a fundamental part of that.

It's been a long journey, but I feel I am one with my body; my temple. I've decided to talk a little bit about what I've discovered in this journey.

I would like for people like myself to read this, people that are individuals in their own right. I hope they read this and realize, "hang on, this guy actually knows what's up".

The purpose of this post is to help you, if you don't already, understand how important it is to create a connection between the body, mind, & spirit. Exercise is one way of achieving that kind of connection.

Creating a Regimen

People assume that in order to exercise you have to be somewhat fit. That's not true.

It helps to have some kind of activeness already in your life, but if not then don't expect to be running a kilometer on your first day. Understand that you have to work towards that. You can't rush it and you can't cheat.

To begin, you have to know your limits. If you've never run in your life, then start by walking. If you've never lifted a weight in your life, then start by lifting yourself. In order to build a house you have to have a strong foundation and the same goes for your body.

Your body is the most important tool you have. It's your way of physically connecting to the world. Without a capable body to achieve your goals you're holding yourself back. Create a strong foundation for your temple and build it up brick by brick.

I've been active for most my life, taking up various sports throughout my youth, my main one being skateboarding. Unfortunately I didn't know back then how important it was to have a strong foundation. I busted my knee skateboarding and my dreams of becoming a professional in the sport were over. If I had known what I know now I would've spent just as much time strengthening my knees as I spent pushing myself to learn new tricks.

You have to know your limits and to do so you must connect your mind to your body. Start slow, learn how to move each part in a manner that's natural, and create connections with your body that you never knew existed.

Through building mind body connections, you will begin to understand exactly what parts of your temple need your attention.

Discipline

One reason that I've had breaks in between, and regretfully so, is because I've lacked discipline in the past. This is the hardest part of exercising.

Once you know what it is that you have to improve it's up to you to work at it routinely. When you start to slack off that's when your temple starts to crack and all the improvements you made become for nothing.

If you do fall off, it's okay. You can always get back up again.

It's as much of a mental game as it is a physical one. Don't create excuses for yourself, just do it.

Many times I have told myself, "oh, I won't work out today, I'll just make up for it tomorrow". Don't do this! You're making excuses and it only sets you back!

Create a routine that works for you - once a week, once a day, twice a day - whatever you know you need and push yourself from there.

Maintenance & Pleasure

Another assumption people make when they begin exercising is that they have to always push themselves to greater heights. It's true that you can, but it's not a necessity.

As a egotistic male, I like to push myself to greater heights, but when I'm feeling too lazy to put in an extra 10% I still get off my ass and go for a light run to keep up maintenance.

Maintenance is the most important part, more so than adding new pieces to your muscle puzzle. Maintain what you already have going for you.

Maintaining your body means to use each body part at least once per day in a way that keeps you limber and maintains a mental connection to that area of your body. When you don't maintain yourself you lose muscle tone, you lose connections with your muscle groups, and you become stiff and hindered.

Going for walks once a day is enough to maintain your body and release those much desired endorphins in the brain.

Diet is also important, but that is another discipline in itself. Focus on getting yourself up and out of the house first, then focus on providing the right energy your body needs for sustenance.

Diet is important because it provides you with the right energy to continue maintaining your body, and if you eat rubbish it'll slow you down.

Focus on motivating yourself first. Create discipline. You'll find it more necessary to maintain your diet in order to better maintain your body

Now Go Out There & Slay!

Exercising increases your mobility, your health, and your overall happiness. It's a hard task to manage, especially with our daily lives being so busy, but we should all try and make time for it as it's important.

Don't make excuses, don't hold yourself back, and don't eat rubbish. Eat whatever you want so long as it's not crap and so long as you're maintaining yourself overall.

Focus on the macro level first - calisthenics & mobility - then you can move on to the micro stuff - single muscle groups & calorie counting - it's up to you to discover what it is that your body is and work from there.

Have fun doing it, don't make it a chore to get out there, and remember that you're making your life better with every step that you take!

. . .
If you're someone that already exercises, throw down your regimen below. I love to hear about what targets, goals, and routines other people set for themselves because I like to incorporate new things. Share your building strategies below!

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Thomas Te Aroha Kohi
_{Owner/Producer, Thirsty Records | Hip Hop Artist | Entrepreneur
Born in New Zealand and resides in Australia, Thomas writes about many different subjects, mostly about those that affect him at the time. He likes to philosophize about each subject and does the same in his music. Addicted to knowledge though no scholar, Thomas tries to be original & true in his quest to better himself.}
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