Each year I make the same resolutions: to get in better shape, to lose weight, to be happier, to get organized, to eat more healthfully, etc. This year is pretty much the same except for one thing, this year I am resolving to not just take better care of my body, but to get to know it and to listen to what it is telling me. None of us is getting younger and yet we seem to take our bodies for granted and rarely make an effort to really understand or appreciate what our changing and aging body needs. We focus on our spiritual growth, our inner journey, and even the physical health of our bodies, but we forget that our body is unique and following the food pyramid and going for a run may not be the total prescription for our individual needs.
My body is beginning to fight back, most noticeably when I attempt what is normal to me, but not therapeutic to it. I can no longer go for a run and slack off when it comes to stretching. I cannot jump into an advanced yoga routine and my flexibility is practically non-existent. While I do still need to work on my eating habits and exercise routine I think I just need to spend some time getting to know this vehicle that carries me around. What feels good, what hurts and what needs to hurt a little to get to the good. We meditate and turn our focus inward so often or else simply hit the gym and expect our body to follow, but all pain is not necessarily gain.
Our bodies are not all the same and that means that even if we follow what experts consider a proper strength and conditioning routine, your body might need more help. I feel the tightness in my hips when I run, the strain in my shoulders when I do anything, and the arthritis in my hands when I hold chopsticks. I’m thinking that we’ve gotten so comfortable with following “expert” advice that we forget the only expert on our own body is ourselves. No one else knows exactly what we feel, so stop worshipping some fitness guru and start listening a little more. Experienced runners still suffer heart disease, spiritually enlightened types are still obese or suffering from disease. Doing what we’re supposed to may not equal success.
It’s not about what you think you should do, it’s about what you need. Sometimes you do need chocolate or a higher fat meal, maybe your body needs the endorphins or iron or whatever, but if we listen to the individual needs instead of blindly following the fitness experts, maybe we will hit upon that core truth of our specific body. I cannot change what I don’t understand so that is my resolution. I’m going to keep trying to get strong and eat healthy, but I’m also going to spend some time just noticing what causes the aches and pains, what releases the good ache and what is just not going to happen anymore. I can still be in excellent shape, but I’m never not going to be 37 so I’m going to work with the body I have, not the body I want.
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