Dear Readers,

I’m using this article as a test post for my new personal development resource launching in January, I hope you enjoy the content and please don’t be shy to give me feedback. Scott.

Physical health is perhaps the most obvious, and unfortunately overlooked aspect of basic personal development. Many people struggle with unnecessary weight and health issues their entire life. The purpose of this blog is to cultivate a life of abundance in all areas. Physical health plays a pivotal role in that.

Failing to acknowledge the importance of maintaining your physical health is a big risk to take with your life, not only that, its a risk without an upside. If you are cultivating a successful life full of abundance and creation why would you run the risk of it being cut short by an avoidable health condition?. Wealth and outward success will be rendered insignificant the very day you are too ill to enjoy them.

Maintaining a healthy, youthful and vibrant body makes every area of life more fulfilling and enjoyable, the aging process is only what we agree it is, its never too late to get inshape. Resolve to make a life long commitment to your health today.

Below are some major principles that if followed will give you a very good chance of creating and maintaining vibrant and abundant health:

Maintain Your Ideal Weight – This is a basic principle of health and fitness. Establish the weight and body fat % you would like to achieve. Create a plan for getting to your goal weight, then stick to the plan. Be consistent and never give up until you achieve your goal. Worrying about your weight and feeling self conscious all the time takes up too much time and energy.

Fuel Yourself Properly – The food you eat is the energy that will fuel your body. Make sure it is of the highest quality. You must take time to learn about food. This is not to say you must become a great cook, you just need to be sure that you are fueling yourself for  optimal performance. Practice a 90/10 principle. 90% of the time you’ll be able to completely control the food you eat, make sure during this 90% your food is always perfect. 10% of the time you may have to lapse a little, due to social engagements, travel or just because you want to. A good way to think about food is to compare your body to a brand new Ferrari, would you put crappy cheap oil in your new Ferrari? or would you fuel it on the best oil available to you?. Remember you can always buy another Ferrari, you’ll only ever have one body.

Exercise – The benefits of exercise are almost too many to number, they include offsetting and avoiding major health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Regular exercise will also improve bone and joint strength. Additional benefits will be vibrant energy and a more youthful appearance. Consider engaging in a mixture of resistance training and cardio workouts. When you begin to see physical changes as a result of exercise you will notice a huge rise in your self esteem.

Push Your Limits – This is in relation to exercise. Once in a while its a great idea to find and push your physical limit. Where exercise is concerned its pretty easy to fall into a comfort zone. Every 30 days or so push yourself, take on a new routine, aim for a new personal best time or just try to lift a heavier weight than you ever have before. Achieving more and pushing harder physically will keep you feeling young and vibrant as you open up your sphere of what you believe is possible. Make sure you are fairly seasoned in exercise or have the proper guidance when pushing yourself.

Avoid Obvious Health risks – Why smoke cigarettes, drink too much alcohol or consume vast amounts of salt and sugar? Little needs to be said here other than these actions only serve to deteriorate your health. It makes no sense, don’t do it.

Don’t accept illness as inevitable – Have you ever noticed those that talk about ailments and illness frequently are often ill themselves? There is a sub conscious level of acceptance to developing minor illnesses like cold and flu, do not accept them as an inevitability. Should you come in contact with those that are ill, don’t let the thought of catching their illness enter your mind. Refuse illness psychologically, and you will will repel it physically.

Monitor your emotions – Negative emotions and a pessimistic outlook on life, over time take their toll on your physical body. Monitor your emotions and adopt an internal locus of control. This will allow you to keep your body a positive place, free of negative energy,  and emotions which act as a magnet to illness and disease.

Take Adequate Rest – The drive to be successful in life often means a lot of hard work. Combined with the physical toll of pushing your body to perform, adequate rest is absolutely essential. Take time to unwind, take regular and complete breaks from work and ensure that you make time for regular holidays. Taking time off and allowing for a full recharge often vastly improves your performance and creativity. Make no mistake if you neglect this necessity for too long, your body will force you to take a rest and it won’t be pleasant.

In the final analysis, nothing is more important than your health. Part of rising up and getting ahead in life is finding and pushing your own physical limits, but don’t bankrupt your health in the pursuit of work, money or promotion. You will find that it is a false economy and if you push too hard, you never know when you’ll reach a point from which you can never fully recover. Life was intended to be abundant, make sure you work with this principle and not against it.

My personal development website and personal development coaching services launch in January 2013 please visit www.fittoprosper.com to sign up for launch updates.