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Fitness and health
In the midst of a world that seems to be spiralling into madness, it can seem hard to stay
active and healthy. We have become so busy with the day-to-day grind of work, school,
social life and all other commitments that we forget just how important our health is to us.
It feels so easy and doesn’t require much effort. So what are some tips to keeping fit and
motivated? Here are five ideas, from my own experiences.
1. Don’t give up because you’re tired after an hour workout. There is no such thing as too
much. I am not going to lie to you when I say sometimes your body can feel extremely sore
on the second session but what really counts is thinking about tomorrow and the things at
hand. If nothing else, then tomorrow will always be there for me. At least I hope that is. The
first couple of minutes are actually quite relaxing; they’re nice to get back into a rhythm.
Once the pain wears off you will begin to enjoy some form of movement again. This way
you get more done in less time. Even if you think you don’t like your routine, give yourself
permission to try different things. What if you want to start boxing? Maybe yoga with
Adriana or maybe even just running down the street. When you get tired of doing what
works for you, it might be time for you to look at what you may be missing out on while
working out. Can you run around the block? No problem! Try swimming laps and taking
short runs instead of long runs. Get moving, no matter where you are feeling stuck – in the
car, looking at the clock in front of you or maybe, just laying on the couch, watching TV. Just
being out there makes your mind feel fresh and invigorated. You’ll find it easier to go out
and do something fun and make yourself happy. It has been said that “health is wealth” and
sometimes that is true. We get better when we exercise. Workout helps keep our bodies in

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shape and energised. Not only does the stress drain away, it gives us a sense of
accomplishment that we did what we could to accomplish this feat. Sometimes, having
something to look forward to makes us more motivated to do whatever is needed to
achieve whatever goal we’ve set. Life changes and that means change is necessary. As well
as putting your daily goals on hold and giving yourself the chance to relax. Exercise for
thirty seconds, then take a deep breath. A good old thirty seconds is all that will matter.
Take in one minute worth of sleep and let them carry on until you fall asleep.
2. Never underestimate the power of motivation. You have got to get up every morning and
look outwards looking at your surroundings and the people within it. Look across and see
where they are going, where they are standing, even if they are only a few feet away from
yours. Then return their gaze and see where you may be heading next. Do that for ten
minutes (at most) then return to staring at a blank page. Whatever it takes do it. They are
right here with you and waiting for you to finish. Whether in your bedroom, on the beach,
or somewhere completely new you can still connect with yourself. Focus on each moment
and notice what is happening in it. Notice how different your current situation is, and focus
on what matters now. Move every inch of space and find new ways to move around in your
home or in someone else’s home or wherever you happen to end up at that point. Write
down notes or memories of events that occurred during your day, then write them down
on paper and fill them in and start to make lists of what you need to achieve. Keep a list
made up of anything, whether it’s a big picture in your head or a handful of small ones. You
never know what will come of writing it down and when that time comes and you sit down
to work on your book it will be that more powerful than ever. Writing can sometimes lead
to negative thoughts and feelings in the subconscious that aren’t constructive and that is
why you have to remain focused on what matters now. Next time an opportunity presents
itself, go for it. Find something positive and find yourself saying yes to it. Believe you can do
it, then start to move. That is motivation at its best. But to be fair motivation often needs to
be found in small things. If it is, you have to keep trying to find out if you can’t find
motivation enough or if you’re simply unmotivated. Some might just find motivation in a
job and others find it in a new hobby and the possibilities they have of achieving it, and it
will work both ways. Either way, take the steps towards achieving your objectives that
push you to continue. Make sure you give your mind a chance to stretch. Exercising once a
week just about gets your blood flowing and keeps your oxygen level in the high levels
required for exercise to function properly. Give yourself a treat or three and remember to
remind yourself often “I love myself.” Most importantly, don’t overthink things. When you
overthink it leads to negative thoughts and those negative thoughts can cause problems.
Overthink is self-sabotage. Over-thinking isn’t just damaging or wrong. It also costs you
money and time in unnecessary worry and stress. Forgetful is another way to overthink
and many people spend hours worrying. Overthinking causes you to miss critical moments
because people can often go out of their minds. Have you ever gone for a drive on the
highway and thought about what kind of car would be in the shop next to you before you
hit the road? Remember everything that is going on in the future and how it may affect you.
Think about it all over again. Imagine what the outcome will be, then imagine that outcome.
Your thoughts of success and failure should be used to push yourself and challenge
yourself. Use some time that you currently aren’t spending in order to consider what kind
of person you were before the change. Are you happy now? Did you achieve your goals or

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did you fall flat on your face? Who know the answer to that question? Does it make you
bitter or sad? Stop and think about a scenario like this and try not to dwell on that scenario.
Instead, picture yourself in that specific situation and ask questions like “What am I doing
today? How did I get here? Am I happy or sad? Why didn’t anyone know I was struggling?”
Think about how much time you have left, and ask yourself about that. Now ask yourself
what you can spend on what you want to achieve. If you want to buy lots of books then
spend fifty dollars and buy six hundred. If you want to stay healthy and fit you have to
make some time. Spend five minutes exercising and then go home. Buy what you need and
go shopping. Spend twenty minutes reading the news and then go to the park with your
dog. Go for a walk in the sunshine and then return home and sit down and start playing
board games until the alarm goes off. There are tons of little tasks that you can do to help
build resilience, and keep a positive attitude towards any challenges you are facing. People
with resilience tend to be happier than their counterparts are. Resilience is shown in those
who are able to weather storms, to overcome adversity and to bounce back from adversity.
Those who don’t become unhappy or depressed. Resilience is shown in those who bounce
back from adversity and those who never give up. Both groups are happier than the groups
without resilience which tends to show through in negative ways. Negative energy causes
depression which in turn reduces happiness. Positive energy removes negative energy
which causes unhappiness. Happiness is contagious. You can infect others if you have
positivity inside yourself. You can spread positivity and help lift people out of negativity. If
you can encourage positivity, then others will want to be like you. Others will want
positivity, the more you will spread it, the likelier it becomes that others will think that you
are positive and you will be successful. When you put energy into spreading positivity you
can create a domino effect. Start by making a conscious effort every time you see someone
who is smiling and talking. By doing this you can send positive energy into everyone
around you. Allowing others to open up and get the happiness out of seeing the person.
Encourage others to spread positivity and then watch to see how they respond. Smile and
talk to people you meet and start liking them. Watch them smile, laugh and talk to them. Be
genuine and make friends, and encourage others to do so as well. See what happens and
use what you learn to spread positivity in others.
3. Set realistic expectations. Our brain works differently than other mammals do. Although
our brains may appear to make us smarter than other animals, it’s really the case that our
intelligence is very limited. For example, it seems to be able to tell us that we shouldn’t eat
sugar and yet a lot of people do. Our brain functions differently, it makes us have unique
abilities. Yes humans have superior muscle strength and reflexes, but it is actually possible
to have these same abilities in other species such as chimpanzees, gorillas, whales and
dolphins. It is a fact, we have evolved to operate like primates, not humans. Animals can
only deal with 3 dimensions of space, one dimension to the other, but humans have to deal
with 1 and 3 dimensions. Humans are also capable of solving puzzles, learning languages
and creating music. These capabilities are all possible in chimpanzees and gorillas. They are
just not the skills of a human. You can learn how to play piano, read music, solve any maths
puzzle. However, these are limitations