POST 32

Today I went to see a sports masseuse.

He was shocked at how tight all my muscles were and I was shocked at how much it hurt to have him work on me.

It really hit home for me, the impact  all the years and hours of running and lifting weights and over excersizing, have had on my body.

I realize now the importance of taking this time out to really get to know where my body is at and what it needs to be healthy.

Certainly a balance lifestyle is part of the key to health. But its finding that balance is what I struggle with. 
In the past, my focus on excersizing was to lose weight, and firm up.

To do that, I would run for hours on hard pavement and uneven ground. I would run on hot summer afternoons and freezing cold winter mornings in the snow.  I would work out with weights, for hours a day.  I could, at one stage, squat more than alot of the guys at my local gym. 

I was really proud of that, and proud that I was making my muscles bigger, and tighter. And proud that my body was slim and trim.

I rarely stretched nor did I balance out those excersizes with yoga or any relax classes. 

Now years later, I'm noticing things about my body that are a possible result of that excersize regimen:

I have a shortened left leg; I have an anterior tilt which means in plain terms, my spine tilts forward; I have tight calves, thighs and glutes and I experience back pain every so often. When I try to stretch or do yoga, I struggle to hold a posture because my muscles are so tight!

And to think that my physical issues today are related to a motivation to lose weight and be thin.

Nowadays, my focus is on loving myself and giving myself what I need to be healthy and happy.
Obviously, excersize is a part of that healthy lifestyle, but I am now choosing participation in experiences that I enjoy and feel good to my body.

I now choose excersize, not based on how many calories they burn, but on how fun they are to do!

So today's blog is dedicated to finding out how to enjoy our bodies and to be motivated by love for them, not what we want to change about them! 

I'm sure with that in mind, I'm off to a good start in getting my body into a healthy place.