That's Fit

FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

A few years ago, I was in a grief support group for people who'd lost their parents. The discussion naturally weaved in and out of the topics of spirituality and religion. My father's religion was running, said one girl. His church was the outdoors: a wooded path on a cool morning, a open field bathed in warm sunlight. I've never forgotten it.

I'm a spiritual person, but organized religion hasn't taken a big role in my life. This is a religion I can see myself being a part of. Running is the cure for what ails me: A heavy heart, a nagging conscience, a gut feeling that doesn't sit well. When I have a problem I can't figure out, I run. When something's stressing me out, I run. When I feel tired or lethargic, I run. And it's never let me down: I always feel better afterwards. No exceptions. It's not that I've found God in pounding my feet on the treadmill, but it helps me find balance, and it helps me find peace.

What activity helps you find your spiritual side?

Yogis seem to a separate group of people -- calm, sensitive, new-agey vegetarian types who wear hemp and shop at health food stores and rescue bugs rather than killing them. But yoga takes all types, and it can benefit you.

Yes, even you, Mr. Sports buff. According to this article from Glee Magazine, Yoga is the type of activity that many people are getting involved in, even pro athletes. And why not? With 18 different styles of yoga, there's sure to be a type that suits anyone. And it has a number of great benefits -- like improving your balance, your flexibility, your strength and your mood.

So what's stopping you from becoming a yogi?

Need a pick me up? The power of positive thinking is a very real thing, and taking some time to focus on the good things in your life can do amazing things for your motivation and your overall attitude and approach to things in life. So what are some of the best things in your life? Can you come up a top 10 list? This guy did, and I think it's a good idea for all of us. We all have different priorities in our lives and different "small things" that mean something to us but it's easy to lose sight of them in the midst of our hectic everyday lives.

I'm really gonna have to do some brainstorming to come up with a solid top 10 list for me personally, but I know one thing for sure: 'laughing babies' is going to be on there somewhere (they crack me up!).

I think sometimes, or most of the time maybe, we all get lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Choices and decisions get rushed and the lines between what we need, what we want, and what we're actually doing start to blur. The truth is that although it's great to have all kinds of different goals in life you have to be careful you're not trying to do too much at once. When is the last time you really thought about your priorities? Not everything can be at the top of the list. Where is your health on that list? Are you really giving your top priorities the most effort and focus? It seems many people say 'health and losing weight' is a top priority, but then they bog themselves down with so many other things they hardly have time to work on it. Whether you like it or not that means it's at the bottom of the list, not the top.

So take a few minutes to think about what's important to you and to make some decisions. Make the choice to choose, and you may be surprised at how much focus, determination, and newfound success you find you suddenly have.

To those who have trouble believing in things beyond what they can see, the concept of an "out-of-body" experience seems a little far-fetched. After all, who knows why a person might feel like they were "outside" of their body, "watching" themselves -- it's a phenomenon that's been almost completely untouched by the scientific community.

Until now, that is.

Teams of researchers in both England and Switzerland have devised methods for confusing the signals sent from the senses to the brain -- giving people the impression that they're standing outside of their bodies. Essentially, this amounted to "tricking" the brain by giving it deliberately misleading sensory information.

When participants thought that they were "standing outside of themselves" they reported feeling "weird," but certainly weren't having any kind of spiritual episode.

So, while the "out-of-body" experience is definitely an interesting phenomenon, it seems to be caused by a relatively straightforward manipulation of the body's sense -- and not, as some have suggested, by any contact with higher powers, alternate dimensions or otherwise.

If you went around and asked people why they exercised, or why they should exercise, I bet you'd get hundreds of different answers. I think it's good that there are so many motivations available, especially since sometimes what works for you one day doesn't work for you the next. So if you're currently in need of some renewed inspiration here's a list of 5 good reasons to workout:

• Get out of your head and into your body. Get away from over-thinking and over-analyzing and get into the natural function of physical movement.
• Find a great way to de-stress and relax. Exercising for as little as 15 minutes can bring a feeling of inner peace and tranquility.
• Use your exercise time to work through issues. It's a great time to clear your head and think.
• Gain confidence and self-esteem-- you won't be able to help feeling better about yourself!
• Learn to live in the present. Exercise helps your over-all wellbeing, which includes not worrying about the future or dwelling on the past.

Where's the line between religion and medical science? While there's passionate opinions on both sides of this debate, a recent survey finds that -- at least in some way -- most doctors include their faith in their practice.

For better or for worse, "This is yet more evidence that doctors are not just objective, neutral scientists. Their religious or secular commitments influence the way they respond to patients and the way they interpret data," Dr. Farr Curlin, the study's author, told Reuters.

Very few doctors seem to think religion has any effect on "hard" medical outcomes, like miraculous healing, but those who are most religious are significantly more likely to report patients bringing up issues of religion and spirituality, and many feel it has a positive effect on their patients.

Researchers say this indicates that doctors should keep a close eye of their own views, and how that might bias their decisions.

March is finally here, and as far as I'm concerned it's now spring! We had a big blizzard here in the Midwest last week, and are just beginning to dig out of about a foot of snow, but it still feels different outside. And even if you're a real stickler, the first official day of spring is just a couple of weeks away on March 21st.

For me the change of the seasons has a huge impact not only on when I workout, but on how motivated I am to do so. The longer days and warmer weather really add to the enjoyment and make it easier to get up and get moving. This article encourages us to use this time of year to renew our commitment to fitness, and do so in a smart and thoughtful way. No drastic measures, nothing so miserable you won't stick with it. Just figure out what you want, make yourself a map on how to get there, and follow it to the end. It's that simple (in theory, anyway!).

Living in this day and age, people have information at their fingertips to help them live longer and healthier. But apart from all the nutritional factoids, aged individuals can tell you what the Holy Grail of Longevity is.

When a recent survey was conducted, 100 senior citizens aged 100 to 104 piped up on what the secret to their success was. Almost a fourth of them echoed the same thing: faith and spirituality do more for a long life than medical care coupled with good genes.

It's hard to argue with their mentality of "living a good, clean life." But there must be something about the peace of mind that one can get from a lifelong commitment to faith. So can you guess what these same people considered their greatest achievement in life? Beating out their careers, it was raising a family, they said.

Apart from your regular diet and exercise routine, how does faith play a role in your overall health?