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The body is a very expensive car that is actually priceless. Transportation for the mind and soul is the body.
Imagine that you have recently purchased the car that you have always desired. The outside of the car is spotless and the inside, equally as pristine. The heart of the car, the engine, is pristine, and revs with the sound of 500 horses stampeding across the land. One would never thing twice to damage that car in any way, shape or form. This car represents your body. In the last post, we touched on the importance of the mind and the power that it has; channeling that power ties into this next post, having to do with the body.
Your body is a complicated collection of internal organs and exterior extremities. Many people around the world choose to place a focus on the keeping their body strong so they may be able to move properly and feel good about themselves. While this is important to look good, it is far more important to feel good as well. Through a gym regimen or a simple stroll down the street once a day, a person should be able to maintain an even flow of oxygen within their blood stream, helping them to maximize their bodily potential.
For the people who are unable to walk down the street, or maintain a dedicated, daily routine of what they may constitute as a workout, it is also imperative that you find a way to move the body however said person should see fit. Personally, there was a time in my life when for two months I could not move my right leg properly. In addition, my right hand was unable to open, to grip an item as small and light as a pencil. During those months I remember first, strengthening my mind so I could build up what little confidence I remember having, to build up my own mind so I may move on to the next step; my body. I first started with my hand.
The first month, I would do exercises, trying to remember how to open my hand. These began as small steps, every single day. I remember having to skip class and take a smaller course load so I could focus on the function of my body; mainly my right leg and hand. About ¾ through the first month I remember finally being able to pick up the pencil for small amounts of time, but any progress is a step forward, no matter how small it may seem. I did this day in and day out until I was finally able to grip the pencil and write my name. It was such a euphoric feeling, that I could not stop there. I needed to get to campus and walk to class. 1/4th through the second month of this ordeal, is when the hard part started; the right leg.
Now it was time to make it downstairs to the community gym that the apartment complex where I was living at the time had available. Back then I refused to use a cane to walk because I can be a very stubborn person. Nonetheless, by that time I had built up enough confidence within my mind to not worry about the stares and glares of the people who I walked past on my way to the gym. At the end of the day this was my health; this was my body and had to make a change. I made a decision to focus very hard on one thing; being able to walk on campus and to class. This too was a process in itself. No matter how much it physically hurt, or would embarrass me, I made a choice to better my body irrespective of all of that. I began limping down stairs every single day, to ride a stationary bicycle, as well as lift light weights to build muscle that had been lost through a process known as muscle atrophy; the loss of muscle mass due to not using a certain muscle group on the body. During this time I learned to cook nutritious meals and not only built myself back up to a stable gait when walking (as stable as can be for someone with my condition), but I also built more confidence in my mind that I could do anything, even though I knew the reality, which was that I could not do EVERYTHING that I used to be able to.
From this brief example, one can see the importance of the body and how it is connected to maintaining a strong mind. I am in no way saying that this is easy; it was actually one of the most difficult things I had ever done in my life and involved many moments of pain, both physically and mentally, as well as moments of doubt and despair. Personally, it is still something I try to maintain every single day. Through focusing on building a strong mind (as strong as you can) and strong will of that mind, the body will follow the mind (the control center) every time and you WILL find some semblance of peace and success.
I wish this reader the best on your journey, whatever it may entail. Whether beautiful, good, bad or ugly, you will find a way to your top. Your journey has just begun. Keep your body as healthy as it will allow you to. It is the only vehicle that matters.