The truth is, I’m not dumb, but I am kind of programmed to think that others know what is best for me. Especially in my younger years, I was the kind of person who would ask everybody their opinion about something before I would make my decision (always hesitantly). Still, I usually play around with other people’s ideas to see how they work for me. The difference between then and now is that eventually I always go back to what I know is actually in my best interest and feels best to me.
Growing up I always thought that workouts need to be unpleasant in order to be effective. The truth is, I never saw much change in my body from my workouts, no matter how easy or tough they were. For me, my food choices have always been the only thing that would bring me change in weight: not working out and focus on the burn.
With that being said, from what I’ve learned and studied (and just based on personal experience) I know that exercise (for me, daily exercise) is not optional. This doesn’t mean that I work out in a structured manner every day. I’m human. I get busy, and very often my workouts get pushed aside in lieu of making sure I have my green juice, my gorgeous, organic green salads, and a healthy meal for my husband (and pets) as well. Some days things get so hectic with work and managing my other priorities that I don’t manage to work out, but that does not happen often.
The reason why is simple. Working out for me is BLISSFUL.
I used to run for catharsis. Feeling my feet pound on the pavement and running uphill were great forms of release for me. Now when I run, it is never on the pavement (always on Mother Earth, she loves my bones, joints, and organs far more than pavement I am convinced!), and I usually experience moments of pure euphoria during my jogs.
My jogs of yester-year and my jogs of now are two completely different experiences (and yes, euphoria is different than a “runner‘s high“…I experience a lightness and a joy that I never felt in my previous years of jogging). Another huge difference is that when I break to walk, I don’t beat myself up about it. I walk when it feels right, and I jog when it feels right. More often than not, walk/jogs, as opposed to just walking, or just jogging, feel really perfect to me.
I haven’t entered a gym in years. I would sooner eat a cookie than enter a gym, that’s how acidic I consider them. No offense to those of you who love gyms, (as this post is all about figuring out what works best for each of us individually) it is just that there is nothing about them that resonates with me anymore.
A few years ago, however, I could be found on the elliptical and in the tanning beds…so trust me, there is no judgment here! I am just reflecting on how my approach to exercise has changed.
The only indoor exercise I currently do is rebounding in my home during the winter (when it’s warm enough out I roll her out onto my deck so I can breath in the fresh air during my jumps), and yoga at my local vinyasa studio, Evolution Power Yoga (I love this place!).
I acknowledge that fresh air is an imperative piece of my personal workout puzzle. Yes, I do feel it if my main form of exercise that week has been indoor yoga rather than rebounding on my deck, walk/jogging, or alternatively, doing yoga on my deck under my beloved backyard tree (LOVE LOVE LOVE that tree !). The benefit of fresh air in these lungs is never underestimated!
Heated yoga implies recycled air which is not ideal. However, I really love the energy of Evolution Power Yoga, I learn a great deal from and am very inspired by the amazing teachers and the students who attend. I feel such a great energy every time I step into the studio, even if I‘m just delivering juices to them, (rather than attending class)! So, I go to Evolution two or three times a week for a vinyasa class, and I love every single second of it.
I also love every single second of my personal workout schedule. Whether it is yoga at Evolution or on my deck, rebounding, pilates (I also do this without a dvd, but I used videos/dvds for years), walking, jogging, or playing tennis (I enjoy hitting tennis balls against the wall at MU’s tennis court occasionally), I am enjoying how I move my body, and I am empowered by making my own choices regarding how I move my body.
I’m not suggesting that you cannot follow other people’s suggestions…I’m just saying, take it for what it is…a SUGGESTION. There is no rule that says to be buff we need to have a gym membership, or if we want to be a good raw foodist we need to do yoga and rebound every day. I move my body because without movement, I don’t feel as good, and when I’m really tuned into what my body needs, exercise turns into a completely mood altering and life enhancing practice that is no less sacred to me than my green juice.
Being in a place where I can write this post makes me very happy. I remember a time, early in my days with raw foods and juicing, that I didn’t work out at all. I felt so much better just from eating cleaner, but now, my body needs movement like it needs her greens. Years before that, I worked out because I was scared of becoming fat and didn't really enjoy the process. I kept myself pent up in gyms, but now would never do this to my body because it makes me so unhappy.
I think this is all wonderful.
So what are your thoughts about exercise? Do you have any personal stories or questions about exercise? So many people take a self-punishing approach to it, and this approach is often taken unconciously. I don’t think that exercise as catharsis is a bad thing, just something we could be conscious of. When I was working out for these reasons, it would have served me better to analyze what all of that pent up negative energy was about. Then I could have found a way to change things so that my exercise could have been more about building up great energy and supplying a great flow of life force, as opposed to pummeling out negativity by punishing my body.
My workouts from last week: (In case anyone cares! This is all by memory...completely related to how I felt that day)
Monday- Rebounding (for those who do not know what “rebounding“ is, it is jumping on a mini trampoline), 30 - ish minutes (I time this by the songs I listen to on my ipod)
Tuesday - Rebounding, 20ish minutes and some yoga at home (sun salutations and other favorite poses which include, crow into headstand…which I’m getting really good at, and half pigeon)
Wednesday - Cleaned my house like a banshee (is that a word?)….but didn’t get into any “official” exercise
Thursday - Yoga at my office for about 20ish minutes…mostly sun salutations and headstands
Friday - 2 yoga classes! It was great, the 60 minute 7 am class really was harder than the more vigorous 90 minute 9:15 class because it had been a week since I’d been to class. Love Love Love.
Saturday- 30 minutes on the rebounder while listening/watching to Lady Gaga on Youtube and wondering if anyone else is thinking “Is she purposefully trying to look/dress/dance so much like Madonna?" Alejandro is catchy though, not gonna lie!
On another note, if you have read my blog more than once, chances are you’ve heard of a beautiful thing called NuNaturals Stevia! If you are like me, you stock up on this stuff and make sure you never run out. I honestly feel nothing but love and gratitude for this amazing stuff every day because it makes my life that much more sweet and delicious (sigh).
Some of my favorite stevia - sweetened desserts!
I mention this because my friend Lauren is doing a NuNaturals Stevia giveaway! You must enter this! FREE STEVIA! Who doesn’t want extra sweetness in their life?
You’ll also want to check out Lauren's blog, Diary of a Nutritionist for her awesome recipes and extremely well written and researched articles!
Happy Wednesday Sunshine Friends... and Happy 24th Birthday to my brother!
Marlena
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