Spiritual growth has always been integral to an individual’s sense of well being, even before mankind has conceptualized the term and digested it in a multitude of ways that it eventually sprung up different methodologies on how one can build upon it. You name it – yoga, karma, or maybe reincarnation. There are so many that they range from the most mystical to the most practical. But whether you are already treading your own “spiritual path”, or in deep need of spiritual fulfillment, a deep understanding of what spirituality is can be very helpful in more ways than one.

In order for us to fully comprehend what spirituality means, perhaps it is essential that we discuss the meaning of the root word itself, which is spirit. Spirit is an intangible property, one that alludes to something incorporeal, something mysterious and not bound by the material world. The most hailed scholar and physicist, Albert Einstein, alluded to spirituality through these words: “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious – the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.” This brings us to the two things that he mentioned – art and science. These two indulgences have dominated human’s consciousness in the process of achieving answers to the mysteries that have confounded us about the universe. These two distinct establishments, polar opposites they may be, have paved the way to advancement in the realm of technology and human awareness.

The search for answers is deeply rooted to our innate need to gain knowledge about ourselves, and how we are connected to everything around us. Mundane activities like fixing a car engine or observing an ant farm are unconscious manifestations of that need, and in consequence, related to spirituality. You only have to read Robert M. Pirsig’s magnum opus, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, to understand what I’m talking about. While this contradicts the idea of spirituality as something not bound in the material world, these physical avenues are helpful channels that allow us to achieve that transcendence, and in turn present to us a peek into the mysterious.

Some individuals achieve spiritual sustenance through the means of meditation. Meditation is a process of serious contemplation, or turning inward to reach a profound state of peacefulness, focus and awareness. The practice of meditation has originated from the Eastern cultures, and has been adapted by the West in the form of prayer. Buddhist monks are astute in their belief that meditation is the way to Enlightenment, which explains the sanguine temperament by which they deal with other people.

A common misconception most individuals make is having the notion that spirituality is exclusive to religion. While it’s true that religion has helped a lot of people to lead spiritual lives, it only represents a few facets that constitute the full meaning of spirituality. Spirituality is a confluence, a heightened understanding of what we are and how we are connected to the whole spectrum of existence, and the discernment that every little thing is equally essential and dependent on each other.

For many men who are overweight, one of the most emotionally sensitive aspects of being overweight is their man boobs, or ‘moobs’ as some people call them. This can really be damaging to any man who has had this problem. There can be a positive connection between man boobs and weight loss though.

Too much fat isn’t the only problem. Very often men lose muscle in their chest and that muscle turns to fat. When that happens their once tight and toned chest can start to look a little more ‘ladylike’ then they would want.

Another cause for man boobs is poor physical fitness and eating habits. When you gain weight, you gain it everywhere. That includes your chest. This can happen to women too but often they don’t mind as much. For men who are sick of having too much flab on their chest one of the best things to do is change your lifestyle.

Eating less and exercising more can really help a lot. Incorporate weight training into your routine and focus on your chest, back and arms for maximum results. Remember,though, there is no such thing as spot reducing. You can’t just lose fat in your chest, you will lose fat all over your body, which is fine since you probably have excess fat in many areas of your body.

Don’t expect changes right away either, it is a process. But the sooner you start, the sooner you can see the results.

Something as simple as eating less fried food, pizza and drinking less soda or alcohol can help a lot and those changes are easy to make. No one (well maybe someone is, but I’m not) is telling you that you can’t ever eat another pizza or that you have to be perfect.

Start small. Just cut back on some of your more common food indulgences. That is a good start. Once you start seeing some results, pick another thing to cut back on. Keep doing that until you have a healthier relationship with food.

If the idea of going to the gym and putting in an hour at a time is too daunting, then don’t worry about it. Just start slowly, similar to the same process you using with your food. Start slow.

If the gym isn’t in the cards than just walk up and down your stairs, take your dog for a walk, go for a bike ride or play tennis. It doesn’t matter what it is, just get your body moving and you will start to see some results after a fairly short time.

Even after you have lost your weight you may still have some extra skin and you may want to get surgery to reduce the excess skin. That is a common issue people who lose weight face, no matter where on the body that weight loss is the most pronounced.

start with some common sense weight loss first, eat better and get more exercise. From that point on, if you still aren’t satisfied with the way you look, you may want to talk to your doctor.

For many men though, they can see a significant positive impact just by getting in better shape and there is a positive correlation between man boobs and weight loss.