A proverb in the Old Testament says “Above all get understanding”. This cannot be truer when pursuing a fitness life style. You must strive for the necessary knowledge for fitness anabolic steroids. There are so many voices in the commercial fitness world that insist their product and theirs alone will give a “world-class” body. The higher the price the greater your results will be with almost no effort or time seems to be their emphatic assertions.

The human body has been around without significant change for thousands of years. You can research any century and find examples of great athletic bodies. As a man would you not be content with the body of Michelangelo’s sculptured David? The principles of muscular development have been around for ages. Advances in nutritional supplements, vitamins and even drugs has given rise to bigger & more muscular bodies, but not even muscle enhancing drugs will work without a consistent exercise and diet regiment.

Advertisers understand this so they promise a transformed body in as few days that they dare promise. From as little as 6 days to 90 days you will be kicking Navy Seals butts or some such wild promise. Not only is it highly doubtful this will occur but the results fade in just as many days. Do not start something that disrupts your body and schedule that you will not be able to sustain for any reasonable length of time. This is why home equipment that is compact makes sense in the long haul for a “new” body. What good is a body that you have to show off by reaching into your wallet for a picture taken years ago when you were fit?

I remember speaking with a fellow who had to be 20 years younger than me about body development. His comments went something like this “Yes I used to have pectoral development like you, that fullness and definite separation right to the upper pectorals. “He even had pictures which he usually carried but did not have at the time. He spoke like a man who stopped living in the present to one speaking only of years gone past. You have your body for a life time! Once your daily exercise becomes a habit, it becomes easy.

I started my fitness quest later in life, in my forties. Conventional wisdom seemed to dictate that I should expect limited improvement, particularly in developing any new muscle growth. That is not what happened! Every year for over a decade I have gained new muscle while becoming leaner. Judicious application of time proven body developing principles, with monitoring for tailoring, to maximize effectiveness is responsible for continued improvement.

I recently introduced ‘The Four Pillars of Fitness’ in a blog post. I describe the each pillar as a component of fitness. While fitness will still be strong when anyone of the pillars is not in place, it takes all four to truly be completely fit. Those pillars are Mindset, Diet & Nutrition, Exercise and Sleep. Studies have shown that each area is important for full functioning of our body. You need each area and I need each area for optimal fitness.

Our mindset is the pilot in guiding the behavior and actions that lead to better eating, exercising and enough sleep. Good nutrition is important to feed and fuel the body. For example, you need cholesterol as a structural material for your cell walls and Vitamin B-12 as building material for the myelin on your nerve cells. Exercise is important to build strength, heart health, sound structure, brain health and more. Sleep is important for the brain too.

Each of us has different needs and different lifestyles due to our work, family and more. Making a The Four Pillars of Fitness work for you is important so that you can enjoy a quality and vital life your whole life. Let’s go through each point so that you can enact them into your life.

There are a number of ways that you can use this pillar. Attitude is one and so is belief. Both are in the same grouping. What you believe about and fitness is important regarding the kind of action you will take. If you want to have the fitness mindset, then start believing that you represent it. When you do that, then you’ll take fitness-oriented action. Mindfulness training is one way to get your into focus for fitness. Hypnosis helps in changing subconscious programming and habits. There are many way that I list in my book, ‘Mind Your Own Fitness’ that can be used.

Pillar 2: Diet and Nutrition. Many people who exercise falsely believe that they can engage in whatever food they want. To be fully fit, eating the right foods is very important. Supplementation helps to support a diet deficient in certain key nutrients. The importance of proper nutrition is that they help to create new cells, provide the right energy, keeps the body and brain fully functioning. Processed sugars actually lead to inflammation as well as brain shrinkage. Dr. Lori Shemek has a wonderful book on using nutrition to burn fat fast; ‘Fire-Up Your Fat Burn’.

Pillar 3: Exercise. Muscular strength and endurance are very important throughout our life. When we are weak and frail, injuries become more prominent. Additionally, your body and brain get’s other benefits from exercise. The more intense the exercise, the more a certain gene (brain derived neurotrophic factor) is activated, which helps to create more neurons and neuroconnections. In this case, use it or lose it applies to both body and brain. Exercise makes you smarter.