These all work on correcting the structural imbalance and attempt to correct these imbalances or energy flows and have been doing so for hundreds of years. Modern exercise and fad diets can change from month to month and are without roots or foundation. They simply depend on what is topical or in vogue. Usually taught by people who have little if any, in depth training or knowledge.

Aikido trains the mind as well as the body. The old adage of "Mind over Matter" is well tried and tested. It is a well know fact that stress causes many modern illnesses and by training the mind in Aikido will alleviate stress, develop positive thinking and develop the ability to deal with every day situations. The whole programme of Aikido training is designed to improve the health and fitness of the whole person their Mind, Body and Spirit to attain harmony of self, and one with the universe. As I mentioned earlier it is a well known that it is what goes on in the mind that causes many illnesses and can also cure them.

The study of Aikido helps to eradicate negative thought, such as aggression, ego, greed, bad temper and petty jealousies. It develops the more positive side of a persons nature, respect for others, loyalty and friendship, humility and caring for those less fortunate or competent than ones-self.

One of the first things a person studying Aikido is taught is Avoidance. The whole ethos of this is meant to prepare the student to be aware of their surroundings both in the dojo and in daily life.

People often take up Aikido as a means of Self Defense but if one trains diligently in Aikido then there is no need for Self De fence, as they first perceive it, because they will have trained themselves to recognise danger, or the problem and will take the appropriate action to head it off or avoid it.

If you consult a local Osteopath or Physiotherapist they will tell you that many people who cause themselves damage with weight training, aerobics etc. Many years ago when I was an eager young Aikido/Judo student I remember my teacher Yamada Sensei saying if you want to develop strength for your sport then work harder at it. Instead of lifting weights one session a week practice the sport twice a week or work out with a person heavier than yourself.

Nearly every person I know who has taken up weight training program to improve their performance at their particular sport or activity has some form of back, knee or shoulder injury, either from poor supervision or because they did not listen to their coach and decided to lift too much too soon. The whole Aikido training program is designed to develop the students physical and mental strength and flexibility. I often ask my students to define the difference between being HARD and TOUGH. As an engineer I always equate hard as being "strong but brittle", where as tough (for me anyway) means being "strong and flexible".

There is a place for weight training but for me I always remember what my own teacher, Yamada Sensei said to me when I asked him what he thought about weight training. His reply was "If you want become more proficient at a skill then practice that skill". "If you want to become a weightlifting champion then lift weights. But, if you want to become better at a Martial Art then practice that".

Correct exercise with good supervision by fully trained and qualified people will help strengthen the body and develop muscle. However, most modern exercise regimes work on heart and lungs, but probably not very well. They also cause stresses and strains to ankle, knees , hips and spine. Most of these concentrate on external fitness.

Aikido training uses exercises that aim to improve and develop the students all round fitness and strength i.e. breathing to develop and strengthen the lungs stretching exercises to loosen up tense and tight muscles, exercises that strengthen not tire out the body.

People go on diets and put weight back on, or they try to stop smoking, without success. The right training will rectify this, by putting you in tune with your body and strengthening the mind, or will power.

If you come to understand your body and "Listen" to it, let it become one with your mind, then it will tell you what it wants and needs. This was proven by an experiment which took a group of children, gave them freedom of choice to eat whatever they wanted and in fact they all chose a balanced diet. Pregnant women have cravings because the body is telling them that it is short of a particular substance (vitamin, protein, etc.).

Modern fad diets seldom work. Restricting food intake cuts down or lowers the metabolic rate making it difficult to lose weight and even if you are successful, invariably the weight goes back on again. Aikido will increase the metabolic rate, increasing your energy, burning more calories and developing muscle tissue instead of fatty tissue. It teaches you to "Listen" to your body, which enable people to lose weight, not by dieting but by a natural change of eating habits.

Adult students will normally be able to stop smoking with no great effort, develop a stronger will power and be able to control their weaknesses easier.

Over the many years that I have been involved in the teaching of both Aikido and Judo, safety has always been a predominant factor. This means developing good technique, as obviously bad technique leads to injuries, which will prevent a student from training. This is why it is very important to go through a series of warming-up exercises.

I always impress upon the students that warming-up is just what it means. NOT wearing them out. It only needs some half a dozen well thought out exercises to get the body mobile and the students in the right frame of mind for the lesson in hand.