PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOVEMENT PART 2
Before we get into the details of the movement program, I want to emphasize that this is meant to be fun. You have to drop your previous thoughts about exercise as work. This program cannot be something you ought to do, or should do, or have to do. If that’s the case, you’ll always have to apply significant willpower to get started. And we know from my other teachings that willpower can only take you so far.
Where Do I Start?
If you’re on a quest for your best health, then you have to start with a strong desire to experience your best health. Desire is the rocket fuel for reaching your goals. Desire is based on intrinsic inspiration. With that comes intrinsic motivation. You’ll not have to motivate yourself, it will just become what you do. It will feel natural and good. In fact, it will be hard not to follow this program once you make it your habit. It will become such an automated part of your daily behavior and habits that it will feel strange not to apply these principles.
>
“When you’re taking the long view of movement, there is no rush.”
This is supposed to feel good and be fun. You have the freedom to take it very slowly. We’re approaching this from the long view, not the short view. The short view is what feels good in a particular moment, and we often end up giving up our long-term goals to whatever will help us feel better in the moment. I’ve discussed this at length in my blogs. It’s why I’ve emphasized the role of mindset, habit formation, understanding your desires, and how to develop willpower so that it can assist you in hardwiring your new habits of health.
When you’re taking the long view of movement, there is no rush. You don’t have to drop 30 pounds in 6 weeks, flaunt six-pack abs, or complete a competition by a particular timeline. You’re just simply thinking about how to wake up each day a little healthier. You’re thinking about how 5 years from now, your body will be working well for you, and you’ll delight in what it can do for you.
The long view does not take heroic efforts. It simply takes a little daily focus. That’s the wonderful thing about this. I think you’ll appreciate the small, simple steps that you’ll be able to take that will reduce pain, improve function, give you energy, improve your sleep and mood, and help you experience your best health.
Visualize Your Movement
So Step 1 in this program is to do a little visualization. We’re going to stop and close our eyes, breathe easy, and just relax for a moment. I’ve provided other blogs that talk about the power of visualization and how it awakens our creative mind and integrates both hemispheres of our brain. When it’s combined with positive meditation and contemplation, it creates a powerful thinking and feeling state. The more we visualize what it is we wish to become, the more likely we will be to achieve that goal. It’s a simple principle that’s been proven over and over again. It does not take long.
>
“The long view does not take heroic efforts. It simply takes a little daily focus.”
You’re going to close your eyes and breathe, take a moment and just relax. While you do this, I want you to smile. Smiling will immediately make you feel better. Regardless of whatever limitations you have, think about how grateful you are to have this body and that you’re able to experience life through this body. Think about how it works for you, and how you want it to work for you. Think about how good it would feel, every day, to have this body be able to work to its highest potential for you, again, regardless of whatever limitations you have.
Begin By…
While you do this, do a scan of your body. Feel your fingers. Move them. Feel the muscles and the tendons in your fingers work properly. Wiggle your toes. Bring your attention to your jaw, and relax it. Relax your neck. Feel your breathing, and the muscles of your chest and your diaphragm assisting you in your breathing. Feel your core muscles and how they hold your body up against gravity. Experience the feelings in your hips and legs as you gently pedal them back and forward. Take delight in this physical body.
In your mind…
Picture how good it feels to get up and use your body, how nice it feels to move it through space and to experience its function.
Think about how good it would feel to swim in cool water, or hike up a challenging slope to an incredible vista.
Reminisce about how good it feels to take a walk in nature, by yourself, with friends or family members, or with a beloved pet.
Recall how good it feels to experience the world through this body.
Now you’re going to imagine what it would be like to do this every day. What would it be like to use your body to improve your own health? What do you need to do to maximize the experience of enjoyment of your own body?
You’ll Need Awareness
It’s very important that you begin to get in touch with your body, feel your body, and understand your body. You have to have awareness of your own body, and awareness of what you desire for it, if you want to achieve your goals.
One of the foundational principles of daily movement habits is simply biomechanical awareness, or kinesthetic awareness.
It’s the sense of your body working rightly for you. It takes a heightened level of intentionality and awareness to notice this and begin to cultivate the movement patterns that help you to feel good. But you can do it. And as you do it, it takes less and less energy. Eventually, you won’t have to think about it at all. Your body will just function as it is meant to.
Doctor’s Conclusion
So I want you to think about how much fun this is, how relaxing it is, and how enjoyable it is. I want you to think about how maximizing the health of your biomechanical frame, and your mind, will give you the ability to experience life in the best way possible. You’ll get to go to the places and see the things that you desire. You will not be limited.
With this positive intention, we’ll move forward into some ideas about what it will take to optimize the health of your body through a physical activity habit.
I am on a mission to deliver personalized and compassionate healthcare. Follow me on Facebook. Want to ask me a question? I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to contact me.
