Get in tune with your body - Motivations for exercise

I believe in having the proper motivations for exercise to achieve consistent, desirable results.
In an earlier post Motivations for exercise I wrote about how the 'wrong' motivations can set you up for frustration and failure to reach your goals.

Instead of having motivations such as "I want to drop 4 sizes" or "I want to be as slim as so- and-so", rather choose more constant, more self-serving motivations that are sure to be met with exercise and continue to grow in strength the more you exercise.

What kind of motivations are these? Here are examples:
1. To look after one's body (not to make it fit a specific mental picture)
2. To appreciate one's body for what it does, help you live daily life
3. To be in tune with your body

There are more, but I'll leave that up to you to find your own. Such motivations forge the natural relationship between mind, body and soul. When that connection is stronger, all three are stronger and this contributes to greater overall health.

Looking a little closer at number 3 on that list:
GET IN TUNE WITH YOUR BODY:

Have you ever noticed how, when you first started exercising or stepped up your routine to something more challenging, you burned in muscles you didn't know you had? This is the first stage of getting in tune with your body.

Exercising with consciousness (don't let your mind wander, focus on every move and breath) helps you tune in to your body. You'll get to know what it needs, when it needs it and how often.

Ever notice, that when you changed from sedentary lifestyle to exercising regularly, certain cravings for junk food lost its appeal? This is especially true immediately after a workout. Fizzy drinks are not as appealing as thirst-quenching water. Chocolate bars are not as appealing as a banana or peanut-butter sandwich. Your body is high on endorphins from exercise replacing the craving for sugar-highs. And after paying attention to your body during a workout, you can hear, feel better what it truly wants.
The more you workout with this motivation, the more in tune you will be with your body.

One last point: Yoga breathers, those who have done pranayama exercises for many years, can actually feel when they have pneumonia or other lung infection. They pay so much attention to breathing that when one lung doesn't inflate as it usually does, they can feel it. That's getting in tune with your body!