Exercising for Good Health and a Long Life

Exercising properly may seem overwhelming and an impossibility to fit it all into your life. Here are some pointers to get you going:

  • Check out the website the success-factor (link to success factor) and, with its help, SET GOALS. This is the only proven, long-term way of changing your life.

  •  Then plan a program. Make sure it includes all 3 types of exercise – aerobic, weight training and stretching. If you don’t plan one of them, you won’t do it – guaranteed.

  • Most importantly, find what suits you. Devise a program that will fit into your life, otherwise you run the risk of failing before you start. Make it as enjoyable as you can – find exercises you like.

  • Make exercise a part of your life. Get up earlier if you are short of time. Make it your goal to do some form of exercise every day – then if you miss a day, it’s okay.

  • The minimum you need to do for maintenance is 2 hours a week, spread over the week. Plan this time into your diary. If you have more ambitious fitness goals, you will have to spend more time.

  • Don’t fall into the trap of thinking, ‘I’m too busy now, I’ll get onto it’ or ‘I just need to finish this important project or meet that urgent deadline’. Life is full of busy-ness, deadlines and projects. The more you put it off, the greater the chances that you will never start. And think about this – whose life is it anyway? Don’t you deserve to give yourself the best life you can? Nobody else is going to give it to you – it is up to you to take it.

  • The most important exercise to do for longevity is stretching. If you are really pressed for time, at least do this. Fit it in during the day – when you get up from your desk, take a few minutes to do one of the stretches, even if you go to the bathroom to do it. Get outside or onto a balcony or rooftop at lunchtime and do some breathing exercises or more stretches if you can. Do a few stretching exercises when you wake up and a few more just before bed.

  • The more you do, the more you start to enjoy it – especially as you feel and see the changes to your body. So stick at it through that difficult first 30 days – and you will have built a habit that will serve you well for a lifetime.

Tibetan Secrets of Longevity

“This is the true story of a man who traveled to the remote, mysterious Himalayas in search of the ancient secret of ‘The Fountain of Youth’ – and found it! For thousands of years a hidden monastery deep inside forbidden Tibet had zealously guarded its secret of lasting youth and rejuvenation: five seemingly magical rites, easy to perform yet powerful enough to change a person’s life forever. This book is the only written source of the priceless knowledge gleaned from the Lamas of this particular sect. The five rites can help anyone look and feel years younger and gain both vitality and a greater sense of well-being. Perform them daily and you should notice the results in just one month’s time; in ten weeks people may actually begin to comment that you are looking younger and healthier!”

Peter Kelder6

Retaining youth and extending lifespan in optimal health is a holistic and synergistic process. The basics are good diet and exercise; all the other suggestions are additions you can add to your regimen, including this one. There is no ‘magic pill’ to optimal health and extended lifespan! In addition to these exercises, the man in the above quote lived with monks for several years and in that time, changed his lifestyle radically. From a ‘normal’ Western lifestyle, he went into a very low-stress environment; radically simplified and changed his diet and started working outdoors. All of these had a tremendously positive effect on his health.

Having said that, the exercises given here are now quite commonly used all over the East as known life-extension rites. The reason for their effectiveness is the stimulating effect they have on the internal organs (as well as of course the strength and suppleness you will gain as you do them). There is also a theory that suggests that the rites have an effect on the endocrine system. The hormones produced by the endocrine glands regulate all of our bodily functions, including the ageing process. Somehow, these exercises stimulate and regulate these glands. Whatever the reason, the proof of their effectiveness is in the results, which you will only see for yourself if you try them.

As with all exercise, you have to do them for a while to see the effectiveness. You will need to do these daily for at least a month to begin to notice any changes; and 2-3 months before you will notice a real difference in your vitality and, possibly, appearance. They take only a few minutes to perform and are in fact so simple, that people tend to give up after a while because of this simplicity, rather than because they are challenging or time-consuming!

Do the rites in the order suggested. You don’t have to do them all at once. If time doesn’t permit, do them during the day as and when you can.

The Tibetan Rites for Youth and Vitality2

Start with 3 repetitions of each rite per day. Increase this slowly until you are doing 21 repetitions of each rite per day. You can split this into 2 sessions of 10 and 11 repetitions per day if you prefer. Do the rites in the order listed.

Rite 1 – Spinning

Stand erect with arms outstretched and horizontal to the floor, and spin around until slight dizziness occurs. If you are in the northern hemisphere, you must spin in a clockwise direction – i.e., from left to right. In the southern hemisphere, spin in an anti-clockwise direction – i.e. from right to left. You may only be able to spin around once or twice before you get dizzy, but this will improve with practice. If you get too dizzy, stand still or sit down to recover. It may take much longer than the other rites to build up to 21 repetitions per day.

Rite 2 – Leg Lift

Life flat on the floor on your back, face up, arms fully extended along the sides, and place the palms of the hands against the floor, keeping the fingers close together. Raise your head, tucking the chin against the chest. Lift the legs and knees straight, into a vertical position. If you can, let the legs extend back over the body, towards the head, but don’t let the knees bend. Then, slowly lower both the head and legs, with straight knees, to the floor. Allow muscles to relax, then repeat. Establish a breathing rhythm by breathing in deeply as you lift the legs and head, and breathe out as you lower them.

Rite 3 – Back Sway

Kneel on the floor with the body erect. Place the palms of the hands against the back of the thigh muscles. Incline the head and neck forward, tucking the chin against the chest. Then throw the head and neck back as far as they will go, and simultaneously, lean backwards, arching the spine. Brace your arms and hands against the thighs for support. After arching, return to your original position, and start again. Breathe out as you incline the head forward, in as you throw the head back. Repeat this breathing once in the arched position.

Rite 4 – Table

The fourth rite can seem rather difficult, but after a week or so it will become easier. Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you, and your feet about 12 inches apart. Imagine you are going to ‘make a table’ with your body, with your stomach forming the top of the table. Place the palms of your hands on the floor alongside the buttocks. Tuck the chin forward against the chest. Now, drop your head back as far as it will go. At the same time, raise the trunk of your body straight up, with your feet on the floor (they may move towards the body slightly), so that your knees bend in a 90 degree angle and the arms are straight. The trunk of your body and your thighs will form a straight line, horizontal to the floor. Both arms are straight, perpendicular to the floor. Then tense every muscle in the body, hold for a second, then relax the muscles as you return to the sitting position. Rest before repeating the procedure. Again, establish a deep breathing rhythm. Breathe in as you raise up the body. Hold your breath as you tense the muscles, then breathe out completely as you come down. Continue breathing in the same rhythm as long as you rest between periods.

Rite 5 – Back Bow

Lie face down on the floor. Place your hands next to your ears, palms down against the floor. Keep your toes in a flexed position, touching the floor. Then push yourself up so that your arms are perpendicular to the floor, and the spine arched. The body is now in a sagging position. Now, throw the head back as far as you can. Then, bend the hips and bring the body up into an inverted ‘V’. Bring the chin forward and tuck it against the chest. Return to the original position. Follow the same deep breathing pattern – in as you raise the body, out fully as you lower it. This is the same as the Tao exercise – Back Bows.

A Powerful Routine

Here is a suggested routine that should take you no more than 40 minutes. It combines the most effective Tao stretching and breathing exercises, with the Longevity Rites. Many people have found this combination a quick and easy way to keep supple and fit, when performed every day. It is also one of the best anti-aging exercise routines you will find!

You can of course change this combination to any that suits you, depending on your particular requirements and preferences.

1. The Great Tai Chi Circle Breath
2. The Grand Celestial Tour
3. Spine and Torso Twist
4. Rite 1 – Spinning
5. Windmill
6. Chest Expander
7. The Pendulum
8. Shoulder Roll
9. Upper Back Loosener
10. Forward Bend
11. Abdominal Lift
12. The Plow
13. Rite 2 – Leg Lift
14. Rite 3 – Back Sway
15. The Cobra
16. Forward Bend
17. Rite 4 – Table
18. Rite 5 – Back Bow (also a stretching exercise)
19. Single leg forward bend
20. Pylon
21. Dip splits
22. Bump and Grind
23. Pushing Mountains
24. The Grand Celestial Tour