I can hardly believe that this month marks the half-way point of the Resolve to Love Challenge. There’s still so much to do and say, and sadly, I had no time to post last month! I hope you all did well with your mental workout. Did you find it challenging? Did you notice yourself slipping into self-criticism? Did you let yourself give up too often? And what about April’s challenge? Have you been working on radical self-acceptance?
These are two assignments that I hope you will continue to work on throughout the challenge. Our mental and emotional health are just as important as our physical health. I don’t believe you can truly have one without the others. So keep up the good work there!
And now, since summer is finally here, it’s time to go out and have some fun. Your assignment this month is to simply make FUN movement a part of your daily routine. I’m not talking about carving out time to do yoga or go to the gym (though that’s great if you do, of course!). I think many people look on trips to the gym with dread and do it simply out of a fear of gaining weight or because it is an act of discipline that makes us feel we are doing something good for ourselves. And while it IS good for our bodies, let’s face it – forcing yourself into a routine that you dread is not a sustainable action. And if you hate the stairmaster (or whatever), why force yourself to do it when there are so many other things you can do that you might [gasp] LOVE?
Copyright: Five Seed
In this culture, it seems we look on physical activity as something separate from our everyday lives. The example of the gym comes to mind – that hour before or after work that we put in, whether we enjoy it or not, while the rest of our lives is spent largely in the sitting position. Sitting at our desks. Sitting in the car. Sitting on the couch. Everything in our culture seems to support this notion that movement isn’t meant to be part of our everyday activities. Our cars, our clothing (high heels, panty hose, silk blouses that don’t mix well with sweat, pencil skirts), our schedules.
But here’s the thing: Movement is not meant to be compartmentalized. It is not meant to be assigned to an hour’s block in our daily schedule. We have bodies and they should be moving! And what’s more, that movement should mostly be fun.
Remember when you were a child and you ran, walked, skated, scootered, boarded or bicycled not just to get from Point A to Point B, but as a form of recreation all by itself?? Remember when you couldn’t WAIT to get home from school so you could get out of that desk and just play? Well, it’s time to be a kid again. Get off the computer and go outside and PLAY.
The first thing you need to do is to get on Craigslist and buy whatever you can afford in human-powered transportation – either something you loved as a child or something you’ve wanted to try as an adult. A skateboard, long board, skates, roller blades, bicycle, adult tricycle, scooter, etc. Get on and get rolling! Try riding around your neighborhood, at first, then try longer journeys. Maybe you can start scootering or biking to your friends’ houses or to get-togethers at the coffee shop. Maybe you want to try skateboarding to work, if it’s not too far. Work these activities into your life, into your routine – why not?! (And if you have kids, all the better! Join them!)
The second assignment is somewhat simpler. Take more walks. But there’s a catch: These are not workout walks. You are not allowed to listen to your workout playlist on your iPod while taking these walks, or to wear your fancy jogging tights. Nope. Your walks are pleasure walks. If you take your iPod, you must listen to either relaxing music or audio books. It’s fine to wear your workout shoes if you walk in a rocky area like I do, but all the better to go to a park and take your shoes off so you can feel the grass under your feet. Look at every tree and flower and weed you pass. Take note of the sky. Listen to the wind and the bees. Take your dog and play fetch or take your kids and show them the caterpillars on the trees and the way the clouds move. This is not a workout. You are having fun. You are moving. You are observing. You are alive. Simple as that.
Your third assignment is to move more at home. I see a definite pattern in my life to gravitate toward the computer, toward wasting time with video games and streaming videos, toward sedentary activities. But there are a million things to do at home that you might love – and they all require movement. Gardening is a number-one sweat-inducer for me! And I absolutely love it. There’s something so satisfying about growing your own food. And what a great gift to share with your kids – movement, connection to the land, good nutrition. What could be better? And how about all those things on your to-do list? Wash the car. Clean out the cupboards. Organize the garage. Get some people involved and get moving. Make it fun. And oh yeah, you’re getting healthier as you move those boxes and stretch to dust the shelves and squat to clean the stain on the carpet. Sex works in the “fun movement” category, too, and *might* be more enjoyable than organizing the garage.
Finally, if you are up for a final challenge in June, try something you haven’t tried before. Go horseback riding. Take a martial arts or dance class. Try a 2-day hiking/camping trip or a 30 mile bicycle ride (believe me, it’s easier than it sounds). Stretch yourself not in an effort to lose weight, but in a spirit of adventure and childlike curiosity.
If you are stumped on what to do, please take a moment to think about your favorite activities as a child, or something you dreamed of doing but never did (tap dancing? fencing? ice skating?). That’s it! Follow that lead!
I would absolutely LOVE to hear about your adventures. Please leave me comments about what you decide to do, or post it on my Facebook page. Believe me, you will have fun with this one!
Yay! Love this post. Only thing I’d change though is that you don’t have to buy anything to participate in this challenge. Human powered transportation is also in our own legs! It’s funny how many people are ‘weekend warriors’ and will laugh at the fact that sometimes I *walk* instead of ride my bike to work – they’ll go backpacking 10 miles or run a marathon, but the simple act of walking the 4-ish miles (in the same time as one would spend doing it on a treadmill in the gym) is as if I’d grown a second head in their reactions.
I love taking exploratory walks – or as my former neighbor would call it, my ‘walkabouts’. Each Sunday I used to head on a different route (here, in the city, a different neighborhood), bringing my cell phone camera and documenting my day. However I *do* include it as exercise as I love how walking at a good pace gets my heart going and exercises my legs in a way that my bike doesn’t (great for lengthening the muscles when cycling contracts them so much). And yep I do often have my iPod on (although I don’t have a workout setlist – just whatever floats my boat that day, lately it’s been 50′s & 60′s tunes…).
Horseback riding – if only I had a friend who wanted to do that with me – any horsey girls out there ?
Keep up the good work chica!
@EcoGrrl: That is a GREAT point about the walking! You don’t really need to buy anything! But…part of my reasoning is that bicycle commuting has brought so much joy into my life that I literally feel like a kid when I’m riding. I thought it would be fun to encourage people to do something “silly” like get a scooter! (Which I so want to do!) It’s just so dang fun! LOL.
I love what you said about the weekend warrior thing, too. What is that about? I’m always perplexed when people say what a “long ride” I have to work. It’s only four miles! I used to ride 10 miles every single day as my workout, which I also loved. Eight miles in one day is a PIECE OF CAKE. I just think people are so conditioned to think of physical exercise as being something goal-oriented and outside our everyday routines.
I have been trying to get back into walking. I’ve been totally bicycle-centric for the past four months. I haven’t done much yoga (which really helps stretch me out and strengthen my thighs for more good bicycling!) and almost no walking. I keep reminding myself how good these activities are for me and that they’ll only help me when I’m on the bike. Like you, I’m trying to do walkabouts (and I count mine as workouts, too! I just wanted to be clear in the post that that is not the GOAL – the goal is fun). I take my dog and headphones and listen to books and look at trees and birds and all the lovely things around the neighborhood. And this is the best time for getting ideas from people’s gardens, of course!
Wish I could go horseback riding with you! I’m actually dead scared of horses – my only two experiences on them were super scary. But I’m willing to try again! Maybe someday!
Owe you an email! Tomorrow!
this post rocks! as someone who works with preschoolers i’m always amazed by how HAPPY they are.
Also, I have decided to take up running…. (EEK) i’m really nervous, but I’ll be doing this with Andrew, sans ipod…. so i hope it will be fun.
In Halifax you can rent bicycles at “I Heart Bikes Hfx” which I think is a fabulous idea for people to try something new.
I think sometimes we can’t let the world know that we’re having fun, or being silly. Which is sad.
@EcoYogini: This is all so true. Since I started working at the elementary school, I’m amazed by how much joy these kids get out of movement, when I had long ago come to think of movement as exercise, as discipline, as a way to maintain my weight, etc. Not fun at all! And when I bike to work, I often feel almost naughty. I’m usually having so much fun that I feel like I’m going to get into trouble. Wait a minute, I think: I’m going to WORK. I should be moving faster (i.e. in a CAR), I should be more serious, I should be enclosed, I should be focused on all the work I have to do, not looking at the sky and smiling. And then I think, Why the heck SHOULDN’T I be having fun right now? Why shouldn’t my transportation be more than just a means to an end? Why shouldn’t I enjoy myself on this bike just like a kid, even on my way to work?!
I love this post, Yancy! Recently, Mark and I went to my family reunion, and there were 3 children their who loved to run around and play. Of course, we’re of the same mindset, so we spent the weekend chasing them, running around the property, swimming in the river, having water balloon fights, etc. It was so much fun! And the thing that struck me about that weekend was that children just do what they feel like doing. If they want to run around, they run around. I’ve found that sometimes I over-think things. Like I might think, “Oh, I want to go run, but then I have to have certain clothes and certain shoes, go at a certain time of day (when it’s not so hot), etc etc” and it becomes so much of a bother that I don’t do it. I love love love this post and the encouragement to just DO it – just have fun, be playful, be goofy, move your body…just do it! Great post!
@Melanie: Thanks for the comment! I feel the same way. Sometimes, I feel almost guilty to be riding to work everyday – like it’s not “serious” enough to be proper transportation for work! Crazy! Why shouldn’t we be doing things that are fun?