Regimentation Is Something We All Need In Our Lives
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word regimentation? Most people think army life, which is true, the army or any of the armed forces is a life of regimentation. Have you ever thought about why? Probably not, I mean who thinks of things like that. But they instill regimentation in recruits because it makes them a better well-rounded person, physically and mentally.
For those of you who don’t know, I was once a fatty, and once I made up my mind to get back in shape, regimentation was the key to my success and still is today. I have to admit it was not an easy type of life to get used to, but now it is the only way I live.
Let me explain, you can call it regimentation, habit, or routine, they all amount to the same thing. Let’s think about it, the time you wake up, how you start your day, what you eat and what time you eat, what time you do your exercise. So there’s a very simple solution to improving your life: forming better habits, develop a routine, or regiment your life, the outcome is, all the same, a well-rounded life.
Whether you know it or not, your body loves regimentation, it will work and perform better, which means being able to keep your body functioning better as you age. You will keep your energy levels be more active and be able to be more mobile and with that, your mind will be more alert.
The problem is healthy habits are hard to form. For example, most of us would love to exercise four to five days a week. But how many of us consistently do that? Unfortunately not too many.
Good News
The good news is once a habit is formed, (it usually takes 25-30 days to develop a habit) it’s hard to break. If you can form a healthy habit like exercising five days a week, there’s a good chance it’ll stick.
It took me a while to develop a routine, but now it just comes naturally. I get up at 5:30, (I don’t even need the alarm anymore) I’m down at the pool doing my laps for 30 minutes. After that, I do strength exercise, push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, a few weights, ending with some balance training. In total it’s about 45-50 minutes of exercise, now I do this every other day. Remember the days you rest are just as important, it gives your body a chance to recoup.
After my workout, I take a shower, have breakfast, which consists of a health shake with a side order of pitted dates. Lunch at 12:30, dinner at 5:30, bedtime between 10 to 10:30. Now, do I stray from that routine? Holidays, vacations, visiting family, and sometimes life just throws things at you that will prevent you from following your routine. But other than that, I pretty much stick to that routine.
I’ll tell you it’s not easy at first, but as the days go by it gets easier and easier, then before you know it you start to feel guilty if you miss a day. If I had to choose one thing that has truly made me a happy and healthy person it would be regimentation. It’s good for the body and also the mind.
