Click here to read Part 1: Nutrition

Part one of the A Healthy Attitude series covered basic thoughts on nutrition, the first of four pillars of a healthy attitude to life in general. The second pillar is training in the form of physical training. It covers questions on working out and movement in general.

Training is a necessity to keep your body in balance if you are not physically challenged otherwise. A body unchallenged becomes inert and imbalanced with mental ramifications. You are one great whole, a system that can only work in unity. Therefore physical training is an integral issue for most people in industrialized nations who experience a lack of movement. Again, answer a few questions for you to answer for yourself:

Q: What is it I want to achieve through physical training?
A: To stay healthy, it is enough to become active. Look for an activity you truly enjoy and do it. Go for walks regularly and spend as much time as possible beneath the sun, breathing in fresh air. Sunlight is a healing power and invigorates you. Practice your movements consciously and attain a feeling for your body. Enjoy it.

To enhance your performance you have to challenge yourself. To achieve a performance goal you have to take one step at a time in this distinct direction. If your goal is important enough to you, you will find the power to approach it and finally arrive at your envisioned destination. Do not cheat yourself. Without your heart joining forces with your will, you will be led astray in no time. Set fewer goals rather than many and put all your power in achieving them – this is the power of focus. Execute your training consciously and regard both goal and status quo. Take one step at a time and stay in the moment. Reflect on your goal from time to time.

Agony is everything you will ever attain by pursuing unrealistic goals. Take a close look on those who already have achieved what you dream about – and learn from the steps these pioneers have taken. Accept setbacks for what they are: Markers on your road to success. He, who is flexible enough to endure a setback prior to progression, will always progress, given time. Long is the way and a constant flow of vales and peaks, mounting higher over time. Enjoy your training and feel the sensation of joy overflowing your body. Enjoy every little sensation of success, driving you further.

Accept that you are, what and who you are. Everybody has different talents. Find out, which activity you have a talent in and transform into a skill. Do not strive to attain excellence in a discipline you are not talented in.

Q: How much time do I have in spare? How much time will I reserve for training?
A: Regardless of how much time you are going to invest in physical training, there is a training regimen suited for both your time frame and your goals.

Do you like long-lasting, steady activity? Do you love meditative routines? If you take the time, endurance sports will be for you. Start running, cycling or swim like a fish through water. If you love to work out with weights, choose volume training, doing lots of sets of various exercises.

Do you have the feeling that you are short in time? Compress the experience down to a few minutes of extreme intensity. Choose training routines like HIIT (high intensity interval training) for endurance sports, the Tabata protocol for endurance sports, body weight exercises and weighted exercises or HIT (high intensity training) for strength training. With adequate intensity, no training effect is lost in comparison to higher volume training.

Q: How much am I prepared to invest financially?
A: Where is your favorite place to train? Do you love to train at home and be independent, then arrange your training in fresh air or inside. Choose body weight exercises or low tech, do hatha yoga, cycling, running or even install a whole gym at your home.
If you like training in a gym, use it as a place, whose atmosphere is distinctly dedicated towards training. Go there to train and to motivate you with others. Search for motivating training partners that assist you on your way towards your personal training success. Never forget, why you went to the gym. Do not be distracted by external influences.

Q: Who do I train for?
A: Train for yourself, out of intrinsic motivation. If you train for someone else, you will lose either your motivation or your goal and be disappointed. It is then not your judgment anymore whether or not your work is good enough. If you train to be attractive to someone else, you make yourself dependent on what this particular person finds attractive. It is impossible to comply with an ideal. Become self-aware. Attractiveness is founded on individual perspective – this applies for you as well. If you train for yourself, you are the judge over yourself – and only you can be a fair one. Be honest. Criticize yourself where it is reasonable and be joyful about your accomplishments.

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Never forget that physical training has a purpose, which is different for everyone. Train because it enriches your life, not because you want to adapt to the social ideal of a fit person. Do not force yourself to train – learn to listen to your inner voice – it will be your greatest aid in training in the long term.

Be in movement – consciously.