5 Element Fitness

As you might know, I love physical fitness. I enjoy strengthening my muscles. I enjoy moving out of my mind and into my body. I like a good sweat. However, I am often disappointed in fitness "gurus", exercise magazines, and modern wisdom on the subject. I hate boot-camp style trainers who shout at their clients to "push harder". I don't like the idea that we need to spend hours in the gym to achieve our goals. I don't want to work out until I puke. I don't want to kill myself. If I go to the gym or exercise elsewhere I do it because I love myself and I want to feel good. I am developing my own fitness philosophy based on the 5 components of physical fitness: balance, strength, speed, endurance, and flexibility.
The profound thing is each of these components are not limited to the physical realm. Characteristics such as balance and endurance are essential to the survival and enjoyment of life.
According to Alan Watts, "we have been taught to neglect, despire, and violate our bodies, and to put all faith in our brains. Indeed, the special disease of civilized man mmight be described as a schism between his brain and the rest of his body." So if our body and our brain are interconnected, it would make sense that we would want to strengthen both in all facets. Here are some preliminary thoughts:
1. It is easy to fall out of balance. The good news, is you can always come back into balance. Balance in the physical realm requires core strength. Balance as a characteristic also requires that we draw on our core integrity. The principles of balance are kindness, patience, and consistency. This means it is better to small amounts of exercise consistently than to do large amounts of exercise sporadically.
2. In our modern, fast-paced world everything is high speed. In fact, the word speed connotes quickness. However, speed actually refers to how fast OR SLOW something is moving. It is much more difficult to move slowly than it is to move fast. This is due to momentum. During your next workout, ask youself "how can I do this slower?"
3. Endurance has a lot to do with persisting. It also relates to intensity. We can do intense exercise (and similarly handle intense life situations) for brief periods. Endurance has a lot to do with choosing a load that is neither too light nor too heavy.
4. Flexibility requires that we regularly stretch ourselves (physically and metaphorically) to avoid injury. Above all, flexibility requires an open mind. As we become more physically flexible, particularly by stretching the muscles of the chest, our heart literally opens.
5. Strength comes with ease when we go with the flow. Strength is not so much about weight or momentum as it is about connecting mind to muscle and using proper form.

The principle of the interaction of these changing characteristics, as the changing seasons, and elements is the foundation of everything in creation. Pay attention. Are you nurturing each of the five elements in your fitness? Or is it always about how fast you can run?