Summary: <p>Listen to episode 164 of the Inspirational Living podcast: Vitality & The Power of Posture. Edited & adapted from Vitality Supreme by Bernarr Macfadden.</p><br> <p><strong>Self-Help Podcast Excerpt</strong>: T<em>he great need of today is the same as it ever was. We need stronger, more capable men; healthier, superior women. Force is supreme — the driver of all humankind. And it is force that stands back of efficiency, for efficiency, first of all, means power. It comes from power, and power either comes directly from inheritance or it is developed by an intelligent application of the laws that control the culture of the physical body. </em></p><br> <p><em>The value of efficiency is everywhere recognized. The great prizes of life come only to those who are efficient. Those who desire capacities of this sort must recognize the importance of a strong, enduring physique. The body must be developed completely, splendidly. The buoyancy, vivacity, energy, enthusiasm and ambition, ordinarily associated with youth, can be maintained through middle age and in many cases even to old age. </em></p><br> <p><em>If your efforts are to be crowned with the halo of success, they should (whenever possible) be spurred on by the powers that accompany physical excellence. As such, the great value of maintaining the body in a proper position cannot be too strongly emphasized. </em></p><br> <p><em>Human beings are the only animal that walks erect. We are the only animal in whom old age brings a forward bending of the spine. The hanging head, which is the attitude of hopelessness (and which is caused to a very large extent by the mental attitude that goes with approaching old age), no doubt does a great deal to quicken physical decline. </em></p><br> <p><em>Therefore it would be wise to remember the very grave importance of a straight, erect spine. Each day of your life should be, to a certain extent, a fight for the best that there is in life and a struggle to hold the spine as nearly erect as possible. If you are sitting in a chair, sit up straight, head back, chin in. If you are walking or standing, the same rule should apply.</em></p><br> <p><strong>Related Self-Improvement Podcasts:</strong></p><br> <p><a title="Naturopathy" href="http://podcast.livinghour.org/e/a-guide-to-health-life-naturopathy-mahatma-gandhi/">A Guide to Health by Mahatma Gandhi</a></p><br> <p><a title="Alternative Health" href="http://podcast.livinghour.org/e/the-thinking-body/">The Thinking Body</a></p>
