Happily We Exercise

Remember the little kindergarten "ditty" most of us learned, "Happily We Exercise"? I know ditty is a dated word for an old-fashioned song, but it works and this little song is still taught to most children today. We warmed up our bodies and minds with simple exercises as we sang along.

The reasoning for beginning our day with exercise is simply that it "wakes up" our body. And of course exercise is a major natural healing tool. Incidentally, I know that we can wake up our bodies with caffeine in the morning, but it is so much better to wake up with a simple exercise routine.

I am a tremendous fan of both Yoga and Qi Gong. Both are many hundreds of years old; Yoga in many different forms comes to us from India, and Qi Gong (chee gung) is the ancient healing form of Tai Chi from China. Yoga teaches breath control coordinated with gentle movement, and Qi Gong teaches that through the breath and simple stretching and movement we can control the flow through our body of our chi, our life force energy, and that blockages in that flow are responsible for dis-ease in our body.

When I was younger I was devoted to Hatha Yoga, but as I have gotten older I find that my body likes and responds better to Qi Gong. There are many Yoga and Qi Gong DVD routines, many modified for various times in our lives. Check them out. They are excellent healing tools. If you have any physical limitations I recommend the routines designed for seniors.

Here's a warmer-upper little exercise to do first thing after you put your feet on the floor in the morning.

1] Repeat this affirmation several times:

"This is a divine, blessed, and infinitely abundant day.
Good things are coming my way,"

with a few deep breaths between repetitions of the affirmation.

2] With arms dangling freely at your sides, walk in place while breathing deeply into the diaphram for about 2-3 minutes. Just imagine that you are inflating a balloon in your lower abdomen as you enhale, then exhale all the air as you "suck" your tummy in.

3] Extend your arms vigorously out to the side, then in front, then high above the head, affirming "I am positive," "I am energetic," and I am "enthusiastic," as follows:

• Begin with your hands at your chest, flinging your arms out to the side while saying "I am positive."
  
• Bring your hands back to your chest, then extend your arms vigorously in front of you while saying, "I am energetic."
  
• Bring your hands back to the chest, then fling them high above your head while affirming, "I am enthusiastic!"
  
• Finally, relax your arms at your sides and take several deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Repeat this exercise and affirmation several times as you like.

This is a great way to jumpstart your day and set yourself on a path to a healthy, self-healing day.