Value and Motivation. Two words used commonly in our language, yet do we know their try meaning. More importantly, can we identify their true meaning and apply it to our most treasured asset, our health. Just as importantly, can we combine the two to consistently bring the best out of ourselves?

I believe that we place true value on our overall health, motivation flows inside us like a river. Our body and its health should be like our best friend. And how do we treat our best friend, with respect and love, for we have placed significant value on what it is that person brings to our lives. Now think of our bodies and their health as our best friend, and identify the value of what a healthy body brings into our lives.

The ability to simply wake up everyday refreshed and keen to get going
The ability to increase/decrease weight healthily and steadily
The ability to gradually build up to running a 10Km race
And the most importantly, the ability to relax and rest pain free

These are a few things that hold true value in our respective lives, for especially the first and last of the above points are essential for us to have, to start the river of motivation flowing in the direction of the health we truly value.

As we start to value our true health, we begin to assign importance to the various factors which contribute to our overall well being. These factors vary between individuals, yet it really comes down to our lifestyle, eating habits and training/working routines. Another factor, which I believe is often overlooked, is our dreams. By dreams I dont mean when you rest at night, I mean our true dreams, ambitions and goals in our respective lives. For within our dreams lie our principles. So, we can see our motivation exists within the principles our dreams are based on. This is why we must assign importance to our dreams, for by doing so, we place value on the motivation required to achieve those same dreams. Do we value our dreams so much, that we can see them becoming a reality, whether they are a great job, an ideal partner, a healthy body or a beautiful house? I know all really do value our dreams, for as I mentioned before, this where our principles and motivation exist. It is our "Will to Live" if you like.

So what we must do is look within ourselves to find what we are truly value about our health, our own image of our healthy body, not a magazine or billboard image. Yet still, we can use the magazine or billboard to remind us of and reinforce the value we have placed on our own health. For if we truly value a strong abdominal region six pack (a common image we are constantly reminded of), we will also significantly value 10 correct sit ups instead of 15 sloppy ones, 5 balanced meals a day instead of 2 big meals and 8 hours sleep instead of 4 hours. We place value and importance on these other factors because when we combined them, they are equal to dream we intend to achieve, in this case a six pack.

When we begin to apply this attitude of value to all aspect of our health and body, we begin to realize the dream of ideal health. Our eating becomes better for we value the energy the food supplies to our daily activities. Our training/daily activities become better for we have identified and value the role our bodies play. And of course, our body becomes better, for we have placed true value in our relationship with it.

Getting back to our dreams for a moment. In my experience, the most of the dreams I talked about earlier which I have seen fulfilled is the dream of a healthy body. Ironically, when most people achieve or are on the road to achieving the dream, they start seeing the other dreams take shape. The reason is that they have placed true value on their most cherished asset, their health. The key, I believe, to truly enjoying ( if not even the key to achieving) the other dreams I mentioned earlier.

These are simple dreams that can be a true reality in our lives, when we learn the true, personal value of our health. Our bodies are an amazing being in all their shape and form, let us value their importance by indemnifying the role they play in our individual lives, and allowing the river of motivation to achieve our dreams to flow thru us, unceasingly.