Improving our health with participation in a proper exercise program shouldn't just be something you do when the weather is warm and summer is approaching. It should be part of a much bigger picture of your life journey where your strength and fitness is so important it is 'something you become' not just 'something you do' whenever you have an urge to do something physical.

If you are always struggling to "get" fit it becomes a mountain that you never seem to reach the top of and always seems to be just out of reach. Making the leap from "doing fitness" to "being fit" is what is all about and where the true benefits are.

In your heart (and most likely your head) you know it is not about a miracle exercise or magical food, or even a hot new piece of exercise equipment - it is about you.

It is simply YOU who holds all the power and the magic to shape and improve your life. And the special key that unlocks your full potential - your most brilliant life ? is your strength.

We are talking here about fitness that goes beneath our outer layer - fitness that includes your health/medical profile, your moods, your energy, your wellness, your longevity and the vitality of your spirit. Fitness is not just about how you look on the outside ? no, it is much broader and deeper than that. Many factors go into this 'infinite meanings of fitness' scenario - but one of the most influential, is one's own place in their journey to a better quality of life.

By continuing to work on increasing your physical strength through a strength training program you will be also be increasing your inner strength which comes from the inside radiating into and benefiting every area of your life.

We each have circumstances, experiences and life situations - that influence who we are, how we think and the actions we take (or do not take). At any given point in our life we have the ability to go inside ourselves to take more control of 'who we are and what we choose to do'. Just like any other journey in life, pursuing strength and fitness means encountering roadblocks, hazards and challenges. Sometimes we breeze through these obstacles and sometimes we have to dig deep to ensure we continue to push past them.

Because negative signs of the aging process creep up on us slowly, we often take our health for granted while we are well. We pay scant attention to the end results of our negative lifestyle habits. Sometimes we need a health scare to jolt us into action but if we are showing signs of an illness or disease it may well be too late. Ill health can smolder away deep inside for years or even decades before it shows itself. By then it may well a strangle hold on your life.

We have to understand that good health does not just happen; it is something that must be maintained on a daily basis and this does require a certain dedication to physical fitness and healthy eating not just sometimes but every day.

One of the easiest ways to stay young is to stop the loss of muscle tissue that starts in our mid 20's and continues throughout life. Once you stop using your muscle strength you start to lose it. And this muscle loss is just the beginning. Inactivity sets off a cascade of weakening from the top of your head to the bottom of your toes. It affects the brain, muscles and bones, major organs, sleep, your mental health, your ability to use glucose and much more.

But the really good news is your can stop all of this happening or even reverse it if it has already begun with a proper exercise program that contains strength training exercise. This muscle building and maintaining activity is the stimulus that gets most organs in the body to work at their best.

It is never too late to get started, and today would be a good day to begin. Stop your struggle with fitness, give in and you will wish you had started years ago when you begin to enjoy the many benefits that your new found strength will give to you.