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Small Steps
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao-tzu
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When I was losing weight, I thought I enjoyed exercising because I was burning more calories and losing weight. I thought the results of the exercise were what I liked. I now realize that I enjoyed running (and yoga, dancing, swimming and the elliptical machine) because I became aware of my body. Aware of my body doing what it was meant to do -- move, stretch, lift.
Last week, I was trying to figure out how I could bring my perception of my body closer to reality (or at least what others see). There are days (and even weeks) that I'm my own worst critic and I wanted to change that. Positive self talk is great, but I started thinking about the times when I'd felt best about my body. Sure I felt great about my body when I reached goal weight, but I also felt good about my body as I was losing. As I was exercising more and more, I felt better and better about my body. Again I thought this was because the results were showing, the scale was moving downward and, of course, there were the endorphins. Now I realize that I felt great about my body because I was aware of my body. When I ran, I could feel the effort of my breathing; I could feel the muscles in my thighs lifting my legs and setting my feet down; I could even feel my biceps if I forgot to keep my arms relaxed. I felt great about my body because I was aware of my body in movement. Yoga was also great for bringing awareness to my body. As I focused on breathing and position, I was focusing on my body.
I felt best about my body when I was fully aware of it -- at any weight.
And there are exercises that don't bring me awareness of my body. Walking, for example. Walking is a great form of exercise, but for me, because I can walk for an hour and spend most of that time in my head, it doesn't provide the awareness that I need to feel good about my body. The cross-country ski machine is another exercise that doesn't help me. But dancing does. Swimming does. Working out on the elliptical machine does. Trying anything new does because it requires my attention and therefore awareness. Building muscles through strength training brings me awareness of my body.
How will you bring awareness back to your body?
And I won't let you (or myself) get away with the excuse that injury or chronic illness is preventing you from moving. Buff those arms up with bicep curls or strengthen your legs with seated knee lifts. There's always something you can do to bring awareness back to your body. Start looking.
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How did you make food a part of your solution last week?
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The mind's first step to self-awareness must be through the body.
George Sheehan
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