Resolutions and Body Revolutions
I started working on my Resolutions back in December, which was awesome because
1. It took the pressure off of January — which is always a loaded time of year, (although constructs like time and calendars are human-made — so every moment is a new day, month, year, if you want it to be)
2. I’ve been practicing my new habits for almost 2 months now!
I’ve been doing home workouts with @blogilates, @and8_fitness, and @growwithjo, who are all wonderful and motivating, and make me feel like I’m hanging out with cool friends.
A few weeks ago I started mediating on the question “What would happen if I made my physical health my top priority?”
Up until this point in my life, my academic, and then professional, success was my top priority. And (AH) I’ve done really well with that as my focus! I got straight As in school, college, and grad school, which enabled me to get a great job that I really enjoy, and that I’ve been fortunate enough to get promoted in.
Interestingly enough, I’ve never given my physical health the same level of attention — and I have a feeling that I’m not alone in that.
What would happen, how would I transform, if I committed to my physical wellbeing with the same level of purpose and intention as I put towards my mental/intellectual wellbeing?
I want to feel accomplished, and I’ve always been the kind of organized person who tracks progress. But I want to make sure that I am defining that for myself, in a way that feels empowering.
It’s more than just numbers — more than my weight, my measurements, or how much I can lift. I’m talking about my energy, stamina, motivation, and happiness.
It’s also about the quality of food that I consume to nourish my body. It’s the care I take to soothe my tired muscles when they need rest. It’s staying consistent in adding gentle and challenging movement into my daily routine, with the ultimate intention to take care of myself as best as I can, for as long as I can.
My overall goal for this year is to give myself permission, to explore what my body is capable of. So I don’t want to put limits on my imagination, and I want to be open to all types of progress. Just as an experiment.
The wonderful thing is that, in 6 weeks, I do already feel happier, more motivated, and more energized. I love seeing the small ways in which my muscles get stronger and more flexible than they were last week. Most importantly, I feel more connected and grateful to my body.
It’s still important to remind myself to pace myself. It’s a lifestyle transformation — not a quick fix, not a sprint.
I invite you all to join me, to ask the question of yourself, “What more can I be, do, and feel, if I allowed myself to? If I wasn’t afraid of failure?” and then try. Just for a little while — a week, a month, however long — just to see what happens.
