When you think of health, do you conjure up the picture of a man with a well-sculpted body pumping iron in the gym, or a slim, beautiful women jogging along the river at sunrise? Or do you think of a 99-year-old agile yoga instructor, or a 102-year-old Shaolin monk with mysterious kung fu meditating on the mountain top?

Whichever one is your ideal picture of health, we all wish to achieve the extraordinary. But how many of us do this whole-heartedly? Most people are inspired but are busy dealing with work,...