Mindful non-movement
I fully intended to do some movement tonight. My body is starting to feel the need. Instead, I worked late, then took a taxi home. I worked on my German lessons, my online course on the Tudors, and then had some satisfying time in my basement workshop chopping bones with an axe. It was nothing gruesome, just a new pair of bone skates, like these 12th C examples from the Museum of London.
Hitting things with an axe turns out to be very therapeutic. It reminded me of this Post from Fit is a Feminist Issue. Sometimes, fitness can be about taking care of your brain and your mental health, not just your body. Sometimes, doing that can be just as exhausting as a tough session at the gym. We need to make time for both.
I wrote that last sentence three times trying to find a way to do it without using “need” or “should” or “must”. We already have busy, stressful lives; we don’t need more instructions that point out our (self-perceived) failures. How about: it is okay to give ourselves permission to do what we need to do for ourselves, even if it sometimes comes at the expense of something else we feel we should do?
There are caveats, if course. Sometimes we just need to do things (laundry, work, child care, physiotherapy, etc). But we can look at finding ways to do those necessary tasks in ways that make them more pleasant, or in smaller chunks, or incorporate the other things we want to do more? Here are some easy examples: can we walk, run or bike to work (or at least part way), or do a stair set once there, rather than making a separate visit to the gym for our workout? Are audio books a way to read for pleasure while driving, or working out? Can some of that child care time incorporate vigorous play, or a walk or run if they still use a stroller? Can we bring a relaxing handcraft project to work on at lunch time, or while waiting for the bus or the doctor? Personally, I am a big fan of knitting or embroidery in public.
Finally, can we remember that although things like 220 days of mindful movement are worthy goals, our ultimate goal should be balance that works for us. Try to shed everything that doesn’t keep us in that physically and mentally healthy zone where we can thrive.
I wrote that last sentence three times trying to find a way to do it without using “need” or “should” or “must”. We already have busy, stressful lives; we don’t need more instructions that point out our (self-perceived) failures. How about: it is okay to give ourselves permission to do what we need to do for ourselves, even if it sometimes comes at the expense of something else we feel we should do?
There are caveats, if course. Sometimes we just need to do things (laundry, work, child care, physiotherapy, etc). But we can look at finding ways to do those necessary tasks in ways that make them more pleasant, or in smaller chunks, or incorporate the other things we want to do more? Here are some easy examples: can we walk, run or bike to work (or at least part way), or do a stair set once there, rather than making a separate visit to the gym for our workout? Are audio books a way to read for pleasure while driving, or working out? Can some of that child care time incorporate vigorous play, or a walk or run if they still use a stroller? Can we bring a relaxing handcraft project to work on at lunch time, or while waiting for the bus or the doctor? Personally, I am a big fan of knitting or embroidery in public.
Finally, can we remember that although things like 220 days of mindful movement are worthy goals, our ultimate goal should be balance that works for us. Try to shed everything that doesn’t keep us in that physically and mentally healthy zone where we can thrive.
Comments
Post a Comment