No matter what the activity is you must allow yourself a conditioning period that educates you to the task/s at hand. Give yourself adequate time to make sense of the information you’re gathering regarding the technicalities of your activities. Allow time to mentally sort this data then communicate your newly acquired knowledge into coordination patterns of body movements. After time, your performances will become "second-nature".

So don't take a blind plunge into fitness. Start off with a comfortable pace and progress from there. Push yourself to fatigue and no further. Remember what you have done, and as time progresses, you will be surpassing previous establishments. And always check with a health authority to get the okay to proceed.

More Benefits of Fitness
Those who partake in an active lifestyle develop a greater number of benefits than they may realize. Even though their intentions may be to reshape their bodies and lose some excess bodyfat, fitness will not confine itself to just these two benefits alone. The fascinating facts about activity participation is that it produces a chain-reaction that influences the entire mind and body. Since physical fitness can then be classified as a prime contributing factor for the promotion of excellent health, daily dosages of this stuff are prescribed.

Energy
Many individuals engaged in physical fitness for the sole purpose of increasing their levels of energy. The process of energy enhancement is scientifically complex, but simple a relatively simple one to apply. All one has to do is perform an adequate amount of activity and eat correctly; mother nature will take it from there. Since muscles are metabolically active, while fat is inert, those who are more physically fit and possess stronger muscles are those who develop higher metabolic rates which turning their bodies into fat-burning engines.

The Mind & Nerves
The relationship between fitness and knowledge blends nicely especially when one understands how their own body performs under various conditions. Consistent participation in activities develops a harmonious communication between the mind and body. Our nervous system has its headquarters in our brain. This intricate system relays electrical impulses generated from within the brain messengering this data to various tissues of the body. When an action is requested or required, the brain will consent to the demand and command an immediate impulse. For those who are unfit, the deliverance of such commands have no assurance for accurate delivery or may become delayed by weak mental signal-sending abilities. When a dullened reaction occurs during a hazardous situation, ill-fate may be inevitable. For example; If one has to quickly slam on the brakes to avoid an accident in traffic, or catch themselves while slipping on ice, dullened impulses may arrive too late for one to safely react.

Thinking makes us smarter, and activities get us thinking. When we're having fun performing our activities, we are happily thinking, and developing higher levels of fitness at the same time. The better fit we are the better we can think and concentrate.

Muscles & Bones
Our bodies are literally held together by muscles and their relative tissues (i.e., the tendons and ligaments). Weakened muscles create skeletal malalignment as the body shifts out of its natural positions and sag. If we had no muscles at all our skeleton (bones) would fall right to the floor. So as our muscles strengthen with activity the better our bodies will be held together. Many wonder how their muscles strengthen with exercise. Here’s a lay explanation that offers a quick understanding: If you lift 10 lbs per day, your body will develop a tolerance to this resistance and adjust. If you’re persistent at maintaining that work load, your mind will reset your strength set-points to adapt, and develop the capacity for you to continue lifting this 10 lbs consistently. Now if you decide to increase to 15 Ibs, your muscles will undergo the same transition over time and develop the necessary strength to accommodate [and dominate] this new stress. This not only pertains to strength development but holds true for endurance as well; another impressive muscular characteristic. Whether it’s walking, jogging, biking, swimming, weight lifting, tennis or dancing, the body will adjust itself to accommodate to the muscular stresses it knows it will endure levitating your fitness levels.

The Heart
You’re aware that the heart is a muscle? It is! In fact, the heart is a muscular pump responsible for the distribution of blood to all areas of the body. When we are involved in activity, our hearts beat at accelerated rates.

This acceleration stimulates strength benefits to the heart similar to other muscles.

Medical and health authorities are now prescribing fitness as a preventive measure for a number of cardiovascular disorders (i.e.. high and low blood pressure, poor circulation, arteriosclerosis and others). Arteriosclerosis is a state in which fat, and other toxic wastes, accumulate and cling to the inner walls of the blood vessels clogging normal circulatory paths. When circulation obstructions become prevalent, blood cannot effectively be delivered to areas beyond these points of interferences which can lead to some debilitating circumstances. To avoid this, one must pursue a more active lifestyle while eliminating all of the harmful foods that are responsible for this problem.

During fitness activities, when the heart is in its accelerated state, a vessel cleansing action is being conducted, removing excessive accumulations of fats, and other waste products, from our circulatory system. Here’s an example: Have you ever turned on a garden hose after a winter storage? Or, have you ever tried to get a glass of water from a faucet that has been unused for quite some time? What happens? Rust and other gookey looking materials cough out. Due to inactivity and use, a buildup of waste accumulates and coats the inner lining of the hose and faucet as there’s no regular flushing or cleansing. The same is true with the blood vessels. Waste can build up inside the body (much like the waste in the hose or faucet) having no means for elimination. Once the heart pumps at accelerated rates, to force blood through the ciculatory pathways, the inner walls of these vessels receive their cleansing and are kept clean.

The Lungs
We already know that the heart beats faster while we are active—so does our rate of breathing. Oxygen is our life-supporting gas which we cannot do without for very long. We can go without food or water for days, but without oxygen we can’t last more than a few minutes. As our respiration (breathing rate) increases, our lungs expand and contract beyond normal [or resting] capacities. The lungs are two elastic-like sacks which collect the air we breathe. As we inhale, the lungs absorb the usable oxygen, then as we exhale, eliminates toxic gases. Millions of tiny holes called alveoli allow the oxygen to seep into our bloodstream feeding the body with this most precious life source.

We know our muscles produce heat in the form of energy when they are active, and heat, like the flame on a candle, cannot survive without oxygen. The better conditioned our lungs are, the better they intake and deliver oxygen to our muscles increasing our energy capacities to work. The deliverance of oxygen to the muscles is like squirting lighter fluid on an open flame. The more oxygen we can supply to our tissues, the better we perform mentally and physically.

Your Looks
Looks? Certainly! When you become active the benefits don't stop below your chin. Your face receives a tremendous number of benefits as well. I previously mentioned that sedentary muscles become weak and sag, well facial muscles are no different. When your body muscles are strong and firm, your facial muscles often follow the same pattern of progression. So while you exercising your facial muscles also acquire a great workout. To prove my point, try looking someone straight in the face while they’re running or lifting weights. They don’t look very appealing while they’re in a state of exertion. But as their faces contort during their energy releasing periods of exercise, their facial tissues are toning and firming themselves at the same time.

Don't! Stop
Every once-in-a-while I'm asked, "John, when I reach my goals, can I quit?" Or, "If I quit, will I get fat again?"

I promote fitness as a lifestyle, not a short-term plan. A way-of-life that enhances each of your days for the rest of your life. To be perfectly honest, once goals have been accomplished, new ones should be set—don't quit. And, if you do quit, keep in mind that you may transform back to the mess you where in when you began. I'll explain; Remember I talked about muscular strength? I stated that muscles get stronger when they are regularly stimulated with activity. If you're lifting 10 lbs your body will adjust and eventually become capable of lifting that weight, plus more with persistency. Your mind recognizes these stresses and provides you with the ability to develop the required strength--you adapt. If you quit, you don't perform these tasks any longer, and your body no longer needs to maintain the muscle strength and stamina required for your active lifestyle. In other words, your body will weaken, or readapt, to the new [reduced] levels of your activity. Here’s another way of putting it: While driving your automobile if you push the accelerator down hard and long enough the car’s speed will eventually reach (or exceed) 65 mph. Once you release your foot off the gas pedal (either partially or completely), your speed will reduce accordingly. Since your car engine is not receiving that "push" it once received to get up to and maintain that speed of 65 mph, it also cannot maintain its momentum and will slow down, if not eventually stop. The body will react in a similar manner. Once you reduce your activities you will be eliminating that "push" your body needs to maintain its elevated levels of progress.

Always maintain an active life. If you've reached your goals, be glorified with your accomplishments then shift over to a maintenance mode, but don't ever quit. If you’re just bored with your activities, refer to your "Activity Selection List" and choose others which interests and challenges you.