"Move the way your body loves"

Fitness should not be a chore.  If you have to force yourself out of bed at 5 am to go to a gym  or to run and it's a chore, just how long will you keep it up?

When I think back to those days when I was naturally slim as a child, I remember how a brick wall created in me an almost irresistible desire to climb on it and dance along it as the uninhibited child I was then and I continued to do this until one day when I was fourteen, when I was reprimanded rather sternly and reminded I was now grown up and should not behave like that.  Phooey, LOL, :-), I don't think there would be any where near the amount of obesity as there is today if we as a generation had not had our childhood inhibitions crushed out of many of us, if we still felt comfortable dancing along wall when the urge took us or climbing trees, scaling cliffs. Do you remember the fun you had as a child, being active, not because it was marked in your diary in the to do list in order to achieve a fitness or slimming goal, but movements you did for the sheer love and joy of moving?

What activities can I, can you, do today, that are pure FUN. :-)   How can you make a step toward undoing the oppressive self talk or expectations of others that have made you confine physical activity to crack of dawn jogs, to the inside of a gym or your  more restrictive in size and private, lounge room?

I recall when I was part of the artist in schools program taking a group of primary school children into Jells Park to sketch and they saw a senior lady performing graceful Tai Chi movements beside the lake, confident and comfortable within herself in moving the way her body and indeed I could easily see, her mind and soul was loving.    The young children (already somewhat inhibited that it was OK for children to be active in play in public and comfortable running around, but believing that adults must be more restrained,), began to snicker at her from a distance.   I quickly asked them not t do that and used it as a great lesson in teaching them about self confidence and to admire her for her strength of character for setting such a great example of how we should not fear being ourselves and expressing who we are in words and movements as long as those actions are good, hurt no one, then believe in yourself and be yourself.    The entire basis of my artist in schools program was not just about the large mural I was painting for the Jells Park School with the assistance of 400 primary school children it was about instilling, 'I can' attitudes in these children and it was enormous fun and I believe I was able to leave an impression.

It's good for me to remember these things now. :-). Time I re learnt some of the gifts I had in the past while they are still laying there waiting to be re stimulated.  Not sure I want to climb trees or scale cliffs any more and my Tai Chi is less than graceful and I now fear broken bones due to osteoporosis of the spine so I don't intend to try dancing on high brick walls again LOL, :-), but it is a lesson in dropping some of the inhibitions that still do hold me back.  I never did read any more than the cover of the book, 'Feel the fear and do it anyway', not sure I've even quoted it correctly, but I get the gist of the meaning of that title and I know that if crack of dawn running doesn't suit me so what if I want to brisk walk and occasionally run around our Summer retreat, mostly retirees village when the others just sit and gape, LOL,, :-). Who knows I might start a seniors fitness trend yet.  Who will it hurt if I perform clumsy awkward Tai Chi beside a lake? LOL,  So what if anyone thinks I'm insane, if I want to skip down a soft grassy embankment.  

Today I am going to acknowledge that yes some internal impulses I get to move my body come when I am in public as that is where life places us.  I realize if your employed you can hardly dance around the office, but as I am self employed, if I want to give little jumps for joy when I'm happy or things are going well, I will do this.  Easy to get my 50 bone strengthening jumps in that way and I have met quite a few seniors who have a 'jump robe for your heart healthy, routine' going, I am just learning to jump for the sheer fun of it, whenever and wherever I feel like it, LOL, I'm still getting tangled up in a skipping rope, but that skill too will one day be reclaimed and I'll skip rope for fun again.

I am starting to use the time when I am stationary in a line, say at the checkout to do 'heal thumps' an exercise I have learned to improve bone density, where I rise up on my toes them thump hard down on my heals, it's a great use of that time and an easy way to incorporate 50 such bone strengthening actions in my day without having to slot the exercise into a time planner.  I no longer am inhibited that I do this in public, if anyone looks I just smile back at them and keep exercising on the spot.   
 

I am going to make an effort to perform more of my exercises outside, because I love nature so much and this will increase the joy I feel in doing my exercise and desensitize me from those inhibitions and concerns about what people think.  I am going to move the way my body loves, free and uninhibited,

Right now I am about to experience the joy of swimming at the base of a waterfall at the Katherine hot springs.  Life is wonderful when we can move the way our body, mind and soul loves :-).

The picture above that I designed from  the image of one of my art works, will be created as a fridge magnet and gift card in Spring 2009 and be ready for sale through this web site, in time for Christmas gift giving 2009 and for our 2010 exhibitions.

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