I love strength training - keeping my muscles strong makes me feel capable and young. Because I have torn cartilage in my shoulder and a frozen shoulder I am not currently doing upper body strength training exercises. I am, however, doing range of motion exercises 3 times a day - Ouch!! Even though I have this frustrating and painful injury, I'm still doing Pilates, lower body strength training, qi gong, yoga and aerobic exercises. Moving makes me feel good.
There are so many benefits to strength training. Here are some that I think are particularly important and motivating
Regular workouts
* can lower your biological age
* can lift your mood and make you feel more alert by stimulating the production of the hormones endorphin and serotonin. The more intense your workout, the more these "happy" hormones are released by your body
* reduce muscle tension
* improves posture (especially back and abdominal exercises)
* improves thought processes and concentration by increasing circulation to your brain cells
* increases testosterone and improves sexual desire and sexual satisfaction
* increases muscle mass and bone mass and makes you stronger
* improves immunity
* helps regulate stress hormones like adrenaline to help better manage stress
* promotes youthful skin
* boosts self confidence
* helps you fall asleep quicker and sleep more restfully
* muscle at rest burns many more calories than fat
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This is one of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous images. In a recent article in The New York Times Book Review Jonathan Lopez states - "Leonardo had long been fascinated by the concept of man as a microcosm of the universe. This idea may have inspired "Vitruvian man", a careful line drawing of a nude male figure whose outstretched arms and legs fit perfectly in the bounds of a circle and a square."
Very few people know the story behind the image -
"The story, in some respects, is simple. The ancient Roman engineer Vitruvius opined in his magnum opus, "Ten Books on Architecture", that a temple cannot be built properly unless it conforms exactly to the principle relating the members of a well-shaped man. He then enumerated the ideal proportions of the male physique and posited that a man's outstretch body could be made to fit within a circle and a square. Ancient philosophers, mathematicians and mystics had long invested those two shapes with special symbolic powers."
In Toby Lester's new book Da Vinci's Ghost, Lester writes "The circle represented the cosmic and the divine; the square represented the earthly and the secular."
This image speaks to my longevity. The circle represents movement through time. It seems very alive and complete. It makes me want to live my life thoroughly.
Historians write that as Leonardo aged and became more aware of his own mortality, he increasingly emphasized the importance of setting clear goals and following through to completion. In his later years he wrote repeatedly, "Think well to the end" and "Consider first the end."
I feel as though I am considering the end. At this age of almost 60, I am doing just that.....then, carefully filling in the time between now and then so that I am "thinking well to the end."
In Michael J. Gelb's book How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, the author suggests that we clarify our core values as we age. The following exercise is designed to do just that.
"The following list contains some key words that represent values (add your own key words to the list at any time). Read through the whole list and notice your response to each key word. Which ones resonate most strongly? Select your top ten, and then rank them in order of importance to you.
achievement
adventure
authenticity
awareness
beauty
charity
community
compassion
competition
creativity
discipline
diversity
ecology
excellence
excitement
expression
family
fashion
freedom
friendship
fun
generosity
growth
honesty
humility
humor
imagination
independence
insight
integrity
justice
kindness
knowledge
leadership
learning
love
loyalty
money
nature
novelty
order
originality
passion
patriotism
perfection
playfulness
pleasure
power
recognition
religion
respect
responsibility
security
sensitivity
serenity
spirituality
spontaneity
stability
status
subtlety
teaching
time
tradition
truth
winning
wisdom
working
Reflect on your list. What areas of your life provide the truest expression of your values. What areas lead you away from what you value? What could you do to improve the expression of your values?
The author suggests creating an image or symbol that represents each of your core values.
My ten values are - love, compassion, wisdom, community, passion, creativity, freedom, nature, adventure, playfulness, and I have to add an eleventh one to my list - humor.
What about you?
Here's a photo taken a few years ago that represents a little adventure, playfulness and freedom!!! Ringing that bell was fantastic.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Much love,
Donna Rae
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