The Phenomena of Exercise: From Meaningless to Meaningful

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Set into motion, the meaningless mass of matter is transformed into the meaningful energy, forces, power and work that brings and keeps everything together. It was this cohesive and binding phenomenon that prompted many of the ancient Greek philosophers to think of motion as something divine. It was obvious to them that without motion everything in the cosmos, on this planet, and in our body would fall apart; without motion nothing grows, nothing develops and everything decays. When we exercise we are transformed into the phenomena of meaningful motion; the binding energy, cohesive force, and action-initiating power that holds our lives together and everything we hold dear to us.

We don’t really have a choice. Everyday life demands we live stronger than the barrage of forces Nature keeps throwing at us; we have the the strength to stand up to gravity and hold our own among worldly forces.

We are experiencing an epidemic of inactivity and all of the major killers of our time are directly linked to it. Now more than ever, we need the binding, cohesive, and action-initiating phenomena of exercise. We urgently need exercise for its ability to transforms us into a meaningful force in this world of forces; for the experience of knowing the happiness of wholeness; and for the contribution it makes to living a life that is truly vital. Exercise, it’s the only way to live.

Stephen J. Almada (From my book: Exercise, Life, and Love).