OK, gang. Never let it be said that IDigFitness doesn’t keep you up to date on the latest trends in fitness research. Today, I’m going to cite you the thoughts of Seneca (born around 4 B. C.). Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher and statesman, and his writings have survived a lot longer than most of the writings on health and fitness being written today will.
Now Seneca was not, as far as I can tell, a likely candidate for IDigFitness membership. I take it he was more into mental fitness than physical fitness, but he was a very wise man. What fascinates me is that the remarks from Seneca which I am about to quote line up very well with the cutting-edge developments in fitness today, which are beginning to re-think the whole idea of endless hours of aerobics and cardio. Perhaps that’s why I’m drawn to Seneca’s comments – they line up with what I already believe 
So, here it is – straight from the Stoic himself:
“For it is silly . . . and no way for an educated man to behave, to spend one’s time exercising the biceps, broadening the neck and shoulders and developing the lungs. . . .
“There are short and simple exercises which will tire the body without undue delay and save what needs especially close accounting for, time.”
Old Seneca was correct, we need especially close accounting for our time, because we cannot buy or borrow more than we are granted. So, a decision has to be made – how much of our time do we wish to spend keeping our physical bodies fit.
To be sure, we must remain fit to enjoy a healthy and productive life, but we must not let fitness be the end in itself. And so my friends, you can see that this all aligns perfectly with the IDigFitness.com fitness philosophy.
First, choose forms of exercise which you enjoy for their own sake and for which the health benefits are an extra dividend. That way, you won’t regard exercise as a “chore” or as time wasted which you could have invested in more enjoyable tasks.
Second, when you do elect to engage in pure “fitness” activities, be efficient at it. Hack it down to what is necessary to achieve results. And I suggest to you that cardio and aerobic exercise programs do not fit the bill. They are extremely time inefficient and the latest research is beginning to clearly show that cardio and aerobic workouts don’t pay a very good health dividend either.
With that in mind, I continue to recommend Dr. Sears’ P.A.C.E. 12 Minute Fitness Revolution for fast, and very effective, results.
