Fitness via Abdo

I believe that information, knowledge, experiences, communication skills and motivation are intangible qualities of extreme value. People who share their insights and inspire should lead and lift others to higher levels of achievement. Heroes mentor, educate and motivate as they themselves pursue the righteous and prosperous path.
Motivation is the impetus to success. Unfortunately, many complain that climbing a ladder of success and trying to improve one's life is too arduous. 
Developing a business is stressful. Staying in shape and striving for athletic achievement is a sacrifice. Raising children is exhausting. As people run the course of their lives, they bump, tumble and grunt.
On the other side, there are people who appear to be successful, but they're not fulfilled. Boredom can be depressing. Without new challenges, some become disjointed from important aspects of life. 
The competitiveness and demands at which our lives are subjected, the speed at which information can be exchanged, products developed and distributed, and businesses concepted and created, people and businesses today are incapable of [individually] assuming the [sole] responsibility of success. Lack of time, energy, resources and expertise prevents many people from moving forward-- that is, unless, and until, they get assistance. 
Studying successful people and businesses for the last 25 years, I have become acutely aware that achievement and fulfillment in any area of life is never a solo effort. Somewhere along the path of every great achievement an advisor, coach, trainer, mentor, parent, teacher, guru or counselor was part of the process, with no exceptions. Recognizing the need and importance of having our own coach or mentor has compelled me to promote this essential aspect of living a successful life. 
Insiders know that an incredibly powerful trend is just about to explode. A trend compared to that of the huge success in physical therapy in the late 70's early 80's, and that of personal training and aerobic instruction in the 80's and 90's. In fact, come to think of it, it wasn't too long ago that having a personal trainer was a luxury only afforded by the rich and famous. Now, having a personal trainer is so commonplace that people in many income brackets hire their own trainers for one reason or another. In fact, personal trainers are everywhere, in clubs, cruise ships, spas and retreats, on the Internet, and, of course, in homes. 
Personal training is in demand, and soon so will coaching. Both are necessary for improvement. 
Another fast-growing trend is in corporate human resources. Businesses of all sizes are paying huge dollars for outside consultants, advisors, trainers and motivational speakers. These experts are hired to educate and motivate employees in attempts to reduce absenteeism and on-the-job injuries, eliminate chronic fatigue and depression, boost confidence and productivity, and lower insurance rates. In fact, obtaining direction, motivation, support and knowledge is an extremely lucrative and fast-growing industry, and a major contribution to building stronger lives and businesses. 
The self-help phenomenon has gone mainstream giving mentors of all kinds a myriad of opportunities! Often referred to as Coaching; for lack of a better title, this is now one of the fastest growing professions. 
If you have a knack, or a desire for teaching. If you often give advise. Or, if you have an ability to motivate, educate or inspire others then, guess what, you are qualified to be a Coach. And don't deny your ability to help others, no matter what degree of assistance you can provide. Any advise is great advise, so if you have some, share it! The interesting fact is if you wish to spend your livelihood giving advice then coaching can be a great career opportunity. But if you're just interested in improving the quality of your own life then by learning and committing to success principles will assure your success in life! 
The technology necessary for life enhancement is available through a myriad of mediums. Books, seminars, Internet sites, audio and video tapes, etc., serve as the tools which delivery positive messages from one ear to another. 
The elements that are instructed in these mediums often times compile a prudent blend of personal, psychological, physical, social, spiritual, relational, and business principles that pertain to all areas of life no matter what the goal, need or purpose. These uniquely designed messages equip you with the tools and materials needed to engineer any one's life no matter what their sport, business, career or personal needs are. This simply means that everybody benefits from success education! 
I believe that information, knowledge and motivation are intangible products that are extremely valuable. People who share these products are leaders, people who inspire and lift others to higher levels of achievement. These are heroes at heart who mentor, educate and motivate as they themselves pursue the righteous and prosperous path. A coach is a specially gifted individual who teams up with other people and groups and assists them in becoming THE BEST THEY CAN BE! 
I encourage that you share your gifts and invest in the lives of others as you invest in yourself! 
Looks mean everything and for many, obtaining a better appearance at any cost seems to be the plan. And as the media continues to inject rocket fuel into their promotions for "thin is in", I wrestle everyday with extinguishing that obsession, and inform my students to balance activity with rest, eat sensibly, and obtain a "want to" attitude, not a "have to" one.
On the other hand, in comparison to the shape fanatic, there are those couch potatoes [with butter, salt, sour cream and chives on the side]. I feel for these people as I personally assume many of them are ill-informed and/or lack a motivating force that provides the direction they need to fully enjoy their gift of life.
As many profits throughout history have professed, "no man can be helped unless he himself truly wants to be helped", I truly understand that statement as I've witnessed more success by people who are self-motivated than those who lack the motivation and desire. What has impressed me so much over the years though is that exercise and nutrition have remarkable abilities to transform both the body as well as the attitude. I've seen lazy, crabby, obnoxious people come into the gym and, after they've endured the programs and obtained the results, they turned into social tycoons acquiring a brand new disposition. To me, the mind alterations are just as impressive as the physical ones.
Most of us look at exercise superficially. We're always thinking [and hoping] what changes will occur, which are indicated by the clothes we wear [or don't wear], the scales we step on, or the comments made to us by others.
Regarding nutrition, superficial results are [again] probably the most dominant reasons why people eat [or try to eat] better -- as better eating habits are claimed to make us lose excess weight and get into better shape. But when designed properly, exercise and nutritional routines re-engineer the entire person, not just their loves handles or saddle bags. The inner cellular components of the human body begin to change on a microscopic level. And knowing how small these components are, time and patience are needed to replace all of the old bad components with new healthy ones.
One last thought before I get to your questions. Humans, by nature, are afraid or apprehensive of the unknown. And when it comes to lack of knowledge with exercise and nutrition -- toss in some laziness-- you can see why people get and stay unhealthy and out of shape. People [myself included] simply do not like to exert energy to obtain things they're not sure of or suspect may result in a waste of time, especially if failure was the results with past attempts to kick the habit.
We cannot [visually] see that so-called "light at the end of the tunnel", we can only imagine it. And if our imagination is blemished with skepticism or failure, no attempts to get into shape will ever be exerted to the degree necessary to achieve success. I'm not here to tell you that I'm that light at the end of the tunnel, I'm here to tell you that that light does exist and it's much brighter than you could ever imagine -- but you have to start progressing through that tunnel. Let's get on with your questions: 
The Benefits of Fitness  
by John Abdo 
===Fitness is for Everyone! ===
Physical fitness has really skyrocketed within the last decade. There are greater numbers of individuals performing various activities in attempts to enhance physical appearance, athletic performance, psychological states of well-being, and the overall quality of life. Clinicians of all sorts, athletic trainers, physical therapists and body sculpturing specialists are prescribing the fitness lifestyle as the remedy for obesity, muscular weakness, stress, fatigue, insomnia, hypertension, immune system dysfunctioning, headaches, joint ailments, depression, metabolic disorders, skeletal imbalances, poor circulation, and many others. These professionals have become aware of the benefits an active life grants its applicants.