Total Health Breakthroughs: Free Natural Health Newsletter and Alternative Health Articles

“Park your car further away and walk a longer distance to the door of the market,” or “Take the steps instead of the elevator.” Most of you have probably heard these very familiar tips on how to work more physical activity into your day. But until recently, I don’t think people really understood the impact such changes could have on our health. Well now we do!

“Cardio” is the “Economic Stimulus Bill” of the fitness world. You can put your hopes in it, but generally it isn’t going to do anything for you, and it will just waste your time and resources.

Rocky Marciano did it. Muhammad Ali did it. And many, many other old-time boxers(and old time wrestlers for that matter) did it too.

But maybe the most unique and unusual group to use this exercise — that you never heard of — were the Roman legions.

Mind-body exercise has exploded in the fitness industry over the last 8 to 10 years, although the concepts have been around for centuries. Tai chi and yoga are good examples of exercise whose primary goal was not just physical fitness, but to become more peaceful and spiritually centered through physical movement. This is the goal of newer mind-body fitness classes, most of which use music, aromatherapy and candles or other soft lighting effects to help engage all the senses and to set the tone of the class.

When you think of Navy Seals or Special Ops Teams, you think of people who are in tip-top physical condition. Have you ever wondered how they stay in great fighting shape?

For decades it was barbells and dumbbells, but more recently it has been thanks to TRX Suspension Training, an exercise device developed by Navy Seal Randy Hetrick, which he developed to help himself and fellow Seals to continue exercising when deployed. This revolutionary invention began stealing the spotlight as the newest, hottest functional device to hit the fitness arena in years!¹

“This year I am going to be a size 6!” Sound familiar? “Getting more exercise,” and “shedding unwanted pounds” (in that order) are numbers 2 and 3 of the 10 most popular New Year’s Resolutions.¹ Since the most recent statistics still show that 66% of adult Americans are overweight or obese,¹ we know why weight loss is at the top of the list. But too often we make New Year’s resolutions, only to quit after a few workouts.

Our caveman ancestors had to be ready to run from a predator or chase after prey at a moment’s notice. They needed a strong heart and lungs to generate lots of power very quickly in order to survive.

In modern times, you don’t have to run from predators but you do need to have access to that extra power if you are being chased by someone or if you need to make a quick getaway.

So when it comes to exercise, it’s a good idea to build and strengthen your high-energy output system. You make sure your heart and lungs have the ability to generate lots of power very quickly — just in case.

Having quick access to extra power is what our ancient ancestors built and maintained naturally in their native environment. But it’s lacking in our modern world.

In my years in gyms, I’ve met thousands of men and women who care enough about their bodies to want to exercise. The only problem is that sometimes I cringe when I see what they’re doing to themselves. I try to offer advice when I can, but as the saying goes, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”

Many of these exercise enthusiasts spend all of their time on what I call the “mirror muscles.” These are the ones that you can see when you stand in front of a mirror and admire yourself. Of major importance to most guys is their pectoral or chest muscles. But, they are making a crucial mistake by not spending enough time on working their shoulders.

What happens is, they end up with a body out of balance. Without building the shoulders along with the pectoral muscles, they’ve put their shoulders at great risk. And this isn’t important for just the guys! Having strong shoulders is important for women too. That’s because there are so many daily activities that put stress on the shoulders.

We are all trying to get more out of our workouts, but one of the things we don’t want is to sustain an injury. Like anything else we do in life, organization is key. An organized plan for your workout sessions will provide a more consistent and effective workout, but more importantly, will also help prevent injury.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends doing a proper warm up, cool down, and stretching exercises to reduce your chances of injury while trying to become fit.¹ I also highly recommend working with a certified fitness trainer who can help you design a program with all of these components and who can make sure you are using good form when executing exercises.

It has been said that up to 80% of the U.S. population will suffer from some type of low back problems throughout their lifetime. And there are many causes — including instability, strains, injuries, and accidents. Among adults, low back pain is often caused by overuse and muscle strain or injury. Proper treatment can help you stay as active as possible and enable you to understand that some continued or repeated back pain is not surprising or dangerous.¹

Specific exercises have also been shown to reduce low back pain and speed up recovery from a strain or injury.² I have outlined below, an effective program for the low back that includes a series of strengthening exercises.