Month: May 2018

I teach a “dynamic systems” model approach to exercise motivation—and exercise, in general.  This model considers the unique interactions between the individual, the environment, and the task.  As I continue to probe this approach and consider what it means to be “well-centered”, I am beginning to see similarities in the approach to understanding “Calling” or “Purpose”.

I favor the statement made by acclaimed physiologist, Per Olof Åstrand, that “if you want to be an elite athlete, choose your parents wisely”.  With the emergence of epigenetics, one might even consider choosing one’s grandparents wisely.

If success is the result of the collaboration of individual characteristics, the environment, and the task at hand, perhaps, it can be said that Purpose is the effect of the interconnectedness of genetics, environment, and what we might label as “soul”.  Soul can, and has been labeled, many things.  Whatever one’s religious belief, “soul” is undoubtedly Spiritual.  It is that which connects us—what connects all things.  It is that indescribable element that makes us human and what might be behind intuition, instinct, and the like.  It is what ultimately motivates us to action.

In his “attitude” training programs he led as part of his management consulting business when I was in my teens, my father often entertained the thought of the possibility that prior to our births we might actually have selected our parents.  This is an idea that has been contemplated by the ancients.  Some have considered that we are conceived with a knowledge of our Purpose that is forgotten by the conscious mind at birth.  We thus spend our lives pursuing a Purpose or Calling that resides just beneath our consciousness—as a sort of inclination or intuitive path feel the drive to follow.

Accepting that we are on an intentional path can significantly limit the frustration and regret we sometimes face.  No matter how great or horrible our life may be or appear to be, accepting that we are called to something (extra)ordinary is liberating.

I can expect that this might not be comforting to some—especially those who have been heinously neglected or abused or those who have experienced painful loss—but if we can look beyond the past and the present, there is tremendous hope and opportunity.  All that is required is for us to look inwardly and outwardly and discover what it is we are supposed to do with the hand we are dealt.

Certainly, there will be times, when viewed with narrow vision, that our lives will make little sense or seem, at best, to be a random series of unrelated events.  However, when viewed with a Spiritual lens—i.e., from the perspective that our lives are interrelated and we are not at the center of the Universe—it becomes clear that there is Purpose to it all.  From this vantage point, one sees that the status of one’s birth, the experiences and relationships one makes, and all the seemingly inconsequential interactions have lead one to the precise place in time one finds one’s self.  Any slight change or deviation would have significantly deflected the current path.  Thus, there is no room for regret.  We learn our lessons and take the next step on the path.  Perhaps most circumstances that we experience have far less impact on us than they have on others far removed from our presence.

We are bestowed with unique genetics that make us physically who we are.  Associated with this are the circumstances of our birth—birth order, geography, socioeconomics, cultural environment, time in history, etc.—which affect the experiences and relationships that further shape us.  Given these (genetics and environment) alone, there is little, if any, purpose to life.  There is no need for ethics, morality, and the like.  There is no need for consciousness.  Yet, as humans, we are bequeathed an intellect far above anything else in creation.  Why?  This is, indeed, a question that has inspired mankind for millennia.

A question we all need to ask ourselves is: “Why am I here?”  It is not enough, however, to ask.  We must ask and pursue.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento.

There is an emphasis on “physical fitness” in our society, today.  We also often hear the phrase “wellness” get bantered around (often in among human resources).  As an exercise physiologist, I am focused of the physiology of fitness, but I personally find the concepts of “physical fitness” and “wellness” incomplete.

Wellness is more than smoking secession, stress management, and the like.  It is a lifestyle.  From my perspective, it is a holistic approach to personal growth and wholeness.  It is essential to (extra)ordinary living.

The “well-centered fitness” approach emphasizes continued improvement (kaizen) across the dimensions of wellness—Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social.  I consider these to have a common asymptote toward which one sets as a target.  These dimensions are unique yet interrelated and interdependent.  With growth, the target becomes ever smaller—not to cause success to elude us, but rather to refine what we consider “success”.

I view the dimensions of well-centered fitness as an ever-growing pyramid with the Spiritual and Physical dimensions at the base.  We build our Intellect and our Social well-being upon the Spiritual and Physical, and our Emotional dimension serves as a sort of keystone.  All the while, each dimension feeds and supports the others, giving no one dimension distinction over the others.  It is a complex concept yet incredibly simple.  One who seeks to be well-centered begins with the understanding that he or she is a unique physical being with purpose and responsibility to something greater than self.  This physical self is connected at a level beyond a chemical and quantum-physical level to everything and everyone in ways we can hardly fathom.  Thus, the Physical and Spiritual are separate, yet united.  Upon these, we learn and examine our Universe—developing our worldview to be increasingly less self-centered.  Our Intellectual growth builds our awareness and affects our Physical and Spiritual dimensions.  Likewise, our relationships are built of the foundation of our Intellect and our Physical and Spiritual understanding.  In turn, these hold together our Emotional well-being while, at the same time, are held together by our Emotional well-being.

When it comes to our Physical health and well-being, then, it is impossible to ignore the foundation these provide.  Physical well-centeredness is not simply physical fitness as we understand and teach it in exercise science—e.g., merely a measure of one’s cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility, body composition, and motor skill-related capabilities.  Physical well-centeredness provides the why and the motivation for these.  It provides the will to train and perform.

Well-centered fitness is (or should be) at the very heart of sports participation.  If not, then why do we have teams and keep score?

Well-centered fitness is (or, again, should be) at the very heart of exercise training.  If not, then why train?  For whom do I want to be fit, live longer, look good, win, etc.?

There is, indeed, a Spiritual, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social, as well as Physical, dimension to exercise and physical fitness that cannot be ignored.  There is much truth to the notion of the body as a temple.  This is why I remind myself daily to “be your best today; be better tomorrow”.  Progressive overload.

Carpe momento!