How can we balance exercise and spiritual practice?.

Question:

“My question has to do with the balance of spiritual and physical fitness. 

It seems to me that early morning is a significant time of opportunity. 

Yoga, meditation, and nature walks would seem an ideal way to start the day from a spiritual standpoint, to tune into one’s Self, and to connect with Nature and the Universe. 

However, I also find that morning is when I am most inclined to want to do traditional Western “workouts” (cardio, strength training, etc.). 

Morning is the time I really want to sweat as I feel it helps me to detoxify. 

The problem is, to me, yoga/meditation/nature walks are meditative and spiritual (or, at least, that is my intention); whereas, “cardio” is just something I enjoy or want to do to enhance my physical fitness or help me to maintain my weight. 

The two feel a bit opposed, so it’s been my inclination to split them up. 

I’ve tried doing cardio in the morning and yoga/meditation in the evening; however, I have more trouble “connecting” in the evening and the yoga feels more like exercise than a spiritual endeavor. 

Typically if I reverse it and do yoga in the morning, I feel too tired by early evening to do cardio (plus I have a hard time sleeping if I do cardio in the evening). 

I wonder if you have a suggestion as to how to get the most out of the early morning hours and how to balance a desire to incorporate both meditative and Western physical fitness practices into one’s day? Thank you.”