Gold's Gym in Midland, Texas

I have decided to get back into the gym again. I have been running, stretching and doing some basic push-ups and sit-ups, but there is something about getting back into the gym that does a body, and mind and SOUL good. I have come across many studies that show the mind-body benefit of exercise.  Below are some of the reasons exercise:

(Base: Americans who participate in physical activities at least occasionally; % say primary reason for exercise)

For fun/enjoyment (49%)

To prevent health problems (36%)

To reduce stress/tension (31%)

To relax (30%)

To help with current medical problems (27

I exercise to for many of these reasons, but I exercise for how I FEEL afterwards.  There is nothing quite like the feeling you experience after a great workout.  If you feel out of sorts, tired, depressed, worried or just lethargic a workout is a quick elixir.  Below are the top ten benefits of exercise:

1. You think better.

2. You are much less likely to develop memory & thinking problems.

3. You are more resilient because it takes more to make you feel stressed & you overcome it & recover faster.

3. You are much less likely to develop heart disease or have a heart attack.

4. Surprisingly, you are less likely to develop cancer.

5. Your chances of avoiding type II diabetes or reversing it go up dramatically.

6. Because you’ll be stronger & more physically fit aerobically, you’ll have more stamina & energy reserves if or when you need them in physically challenging emergencies. And even doing more normal things like grocery shopping will be far easier.

7. Particularly if you also work at improving your exercise program & your progress in it & eat right, you’ll be firmer or more muscular & you’ll be a lot less fat.

(Depending on how fat you are now & what you eat, you may well weigh a LOT less.)

So you’ll move better. You’ll look better. And, you’ll tend to be more attractive sexually.

8. You’ll live longer & be in good health a bigger percentage of your life. So your years in good health will be much longer.

9. You’ll be more proactive & effective — because exercising regularly teaches those skills & changes your self image in that direction as a result.

10. Your sex life will be better. And, as you get older, it will be MUCH better. This is true for both men and women.

More information on exercise, eating right, staying health, & living long is posted on the:

Focus on Health blog at http://www.iehealth.blogspot.com

Can’t think of a better way to spend an hour with such a return on your time.  So go ahead and spend an hour or so and get in a workout, you will be glad you did.

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Have you ever gotten to a point in your life where the day-to-day just isn’t cutting it? You know what I mean, you live your life, kids, job, spouse, church, that occasional trip and night out, but where is the challenge? Sure, you have some challenges in your job, but honestly, you could “mail it in” and people would be happy. Now I’m not advocating that way of life, but I think it is the reality of life in the United States. Most of us are fortunate to have what we need, if not what we want, and we seek challenge and meaning in different areas of our lives.

I have chosen to run a race close to home, The Crossroads Marathon in Odessa, Texas on October 3. The race is perfect for me, close to home, run in October so I can train during the summer months when I am not teaching and the track is flat, VERY flat!

So follow my training here, I’ll let you know the good, bad and ugly. If you want to join me in person on the web in virual training, let me know, I could use a training buddy! Need help on how to train? Go to www.halhigdon.com for great advice and training schedules.

That is certainly true for me, I have come to the point where I am looking for something that will truly test me in many different capacities. I need to be challenged as to my discipline, my physicality, my stamina and my mental toughness. I need to know if I do indeed measure up to my image of who I think I am. I can think of no better way to do that than to run the ultimate race (at least for most of us) the marathon. Twenty-six miles, 385 yards of nothing but sweat, pain and asphalt. I started training this week. The first week didn’t go as well as I had planned, a little heat exhaustion the first long run of six miles, but I won’t give up!

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