At one time or another we surely must have heard the saying that states “You can’t fool Mother Nature.” There is a lot of truth in that statement, especially when seeking to achieve a happy, healthy and fit lifestyle. As human beings, we perceive ‘all there is’ around us in terms of concrete, abstract and ethereal thought. Our five senses are genetically inscribed within each of us. This is how we get along in the physical world. Naturally, many of our experiences in life focus on the physical being, that is our body. It is our life-long vehicle, our home, our sanctuary, our fortress, our temple and our best friend.
Our body also supports our mind. The mind houses and generates thoughts, feelings, emotions, attitudes and other such abstract perceptions as visual art, music, dance and our projections of what we hear, see, taste, smell and touch. Let’s call this ‘awareness’ the ego or body-based intellect. However, the mind is quite capable of more than three-dimensional thought. It can grasp and understand such concepts as time, space, movement and change. The mind, as with the physical body, is also genetically set for each of us.
On an even larger scale, we are all ‘part of the whole’ as manifestations of a higher power, which created all things. You many use whatever term with which you feel comfortable. That Power allows for the body and the mind to have certain unique qualities, which, for simplicity, we will call cosmic gifts. Cosmic gifts are those qualities that permit us to excel in certain areas of physical or mental activity. We are all aware of a ‘gifted’ poet, musician, actor, scientist, or spiritual leader. Some names that immediately come to mind are Carl Sandberg, Ray Charles, Katherine Hepburn, Albert Einstein and Gandhi.
However, sometimes we fail to see our NATURAL gifts because we are too busy searching for what we THINK are our gifts. How many times have you seen someone at the gym struggling to force their body to do something outside their natural physical parameters? A good example would be a person with a thin frame attempting to build up his body to look like that of Arnold Schwarzenegger. While a properly designed exercise program can maximize muscular gains very well, it will not be able to overcome your genetic parameters. A thin or ectomorphic build is much better suited to running, gymnastics, or bicycling. If you attempted to go beyond what you are genetically gifted with, you will not be able to attain that goal. What’s the reason? The reason is that the goal is not realistic or in sync with your genetic make up. It is the ego striving to attain, that which is unattainable. When our body based intellect or ego gets into the act, it may very well obscure the obvious God given gifts we have been given. An old adage that still holds true is:
NATURE KNOWS BEST
It is ludicrous to assume that anything beyond this statement could possibly be true. How many advertising statements have you seen, read or watched on televisions that proclaim “We can improve on nature”? The health and fitness industry has spawned cottage businesses that offer products, supplements and exercise equipment that will “give you the body you want almost overnight.” Do these claims sound too good to be true? In the vast majority of cases the answer is ‘yes.’ But, “how do I really know?” you may ask yourself.
To understand or satisfy the perceived ‘need to know’ part of us, we must stand back and look at things from a different perspective. It is very much like the ‘leap of faith’ scene from one of the Indiana Jones movies, where the footbridge that he had to cross was obscured until looked at from another angle. In each of our own lives, we can see a larger part of the ‘picture’ from a higher or different vantage point, a vantage point that permits us to see with greater clarity. We are all part of the ‘grand scheme’ of things. As such we already have instilled in us the mechanism to know what is right for us. All we have to do is listen to our own ‘inner voice’. That voice is part of our spiritual link to all that is. It is like a giant governor motor or regulator to help show us all the possibilities we are each capable of achieving.
We can apply this concept to our desire for a happy, healthy and fit lifestyle. However, we must be totally honest with ourselves as to the origin and nature of our desire. For example, if your desire is for only superficial changes in the way you look, then your progress will never be good enough to satisfy that desire. But if you look deep enough within yourself you may see that the natural tendency of the body to be healthy is predetermined. That’s the way we were made. All you have to do is accept that thought and then do the things you need to do to make that happen. In this way you are simply allowing the energy that flows through us to unfold and manifest itself. Remember, the byproduct of a happy, healthy and fit lifestyle is, that you LOOK the ‘part’.
Before structuring your lifestyle change, workout program or meal plan, make sure you have been true to your inner self with respect to realistic goal setting. Goal setting needs to give careful consideration to your genetic make up, your level of dedication to achieve that goal and an accounting of your genuine ‘feelings’ for what you are about to undertake. Part of the preparation is the willingness to allow your innate abilities and cosmic gifts to come forward. We don’t need to create them; they are already there. All we need do is set aside the obstacles in order to see them.
