5:00 am

Working out in general, and spinning in particular, bring tremendous benefits and you need to keep reminding yourself. The benefits are tremendous because they equally impact the strength of your mind and the strength of your body.

Does it sometimes feel there is a dark force encouraging us to stay sedentary, stay cynical, stay inactive? An active mind and an active body can and do overcome this force. It happens everytime you drag yourself to a workout. With a workout your mind and body open up, they blossom. When we stay inactive….the opposite happens. A closing down occurs.

Pay close attention to the mental and physical sensations after your next workout. Let them linger.

In 2004 an excellent book was published called “Younger Next Year”. If you were a Spynergy rider back then, you may recall we talked about it quite a bit. The book was written by a retired Manhattan attorney, Chirs Crowley, and his doctor, Henry Lodge M.D. It is a realistic, humourous and insightful look at aging — something we can all relate to. There are no exceptions.

It’s loaded with great stuff, but the essence of the book comes down to one simple notion that the authors create a powerful case for: Your body responds to the signals you give it — when you signal you need it (through activity), it grows and thrives. When you signal you don’t need it (through inacitivity), it decays and ages. Sound simple? It is.

Here are a few excerpts:

“…aging is not optional, but decaying is. How do we keep ourselves from decaying? By changing the signals we send to our body. The keys are daily exercise, emotional commitment, reasonable nutrition…..but it starts with exercise…”

“…being sedentary is the most important signal for decay…your body watches you like a hawk and when you don’t use it……you’re telling your body it’s time to get old. To rot…”

“…Everything you do physically, everything you eat, everything you think and feel….changes your body and brain in physical ways…exercise and involvement in life trigger great waves of “grow messages…”

“…Exercise is the best way to engage your body and your physical brain, and if you do it, you will get “younger”. Not completely, but to an astonishing degree…”

The book goes on to illustrate these concepts and to provide very interesting medical and scientific data around them. It makes fascinating and motivational reading, and it makes sense.