by Jenn Kaye
All too often we get so caught up in everything going on in our world that we forget how important physical movement actually is. Do you know that humans are the only species on the planet that sits STILL when we are injured or ill? Can you imagine if a deer in the wild, or even a lion for that matter, just lay there when they were injured? They would either die of thirst and starvation, or they would be eaten by another animal.
Our current culture has become so stagnant ... we SIT in our cars to drive to the office, to SIT in our chairs and work at our computers, or go to meetings to SIT, where we then perhaps to go lunch to SIT and eat while texting and emailing on our PDA's and so on ... until we get back in our vehicles to SIT on the way home, prepare dinner, help the kids with their homework and watch some late night TV where we SIT before we go to bed.
I'm not talking "exercise" so to speak. To be honest, I hate "exercise!" But I LOVE "movement." I love moving my body through dance, swimming, walking, yoga and just being silly.
No wonder depression runs rampant in our society. We're all sitting still!
I recently recommitted to daily movement in my life. Yes, I said "daily." It doesn't matter what my heart rate gets to, or if I even break a sweat. I was tired of being uncertain with the economy, scared of everything I heard on the news and frustrated with the shape of my body. So I decided to reprogram my reality and instead of feeling 'stuck' in different areas in my life, I decided to feel like at least things were moving.
I started by going to the local Parks & Recreation pool. I go every morning at 6:15. Whether I swim, walk in the water or use the kickboard for 5 minutes or 50 minutes I go. One morning I met a 78-year old man from Luxembourg with his 76-year old wife. They are there every morning and we started talking. He told me that every day, he swims, he rides his bike 20 miles and he goes to the golf course. I thought he was kidding, until he explained that even if he has to ride 10 miles in the morning and 10 miles in the evening, or he just goes to the golf course to hit balls, he goes. He is happy, gregarious and full of life.
He has become my inspiration, so that any morning that I wake up and think, "I'll just sleep in today," I get my butt up and go. Even if it's just to see him and his wife.
What's funny, is that after a week or so of building my new habit, I decided to add an affirmation to my movement. When I swim, or go to yoga now, or even when I dance I say to myself, "Movement in my body equals money in my bank account; movement in my body equals movement in my life." Funny enough, the week after I began repeating my affirmations during my movement, I started getting calls for more speaking engagements, my mood became more positive and sure enough, there is movement occurring in my life.
I share this with you because it's important to remember that when you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, like things just aren't moving in your life, start moving your BODY. Get the blood circulating, the endorphins going and create movement WITHIN you - and I promise you will start noticing things moving around you soon enough.
Here's to New Movement in Your Body, Mind, Sprit & Life!
