I made a vow when January 1st rolled around to dedicate this year to my body. To tending it better, especially giving it more exercise. To fully reclaiming it as sacred. You may want to read about that here.
I'm proud to say I'm keeping my vow. It was a bit of a rough start though. Here's my story:
I told myself I would walk everyday. Every SINGLE day without fail! I started out strong, beginning by buying a new pair of tennies. (I hadn't had a new pair in over 10 years!) I also convinced my beloved he needed to walk too, that way I'd have a partner to keep me accountable. And we're off!
Day 1 was great. I was winded, but felt energized. I knew I'd have to go slow, especially after the last couple of years of minimal exercise, so I paced myself.
Day 2 was good, too. We walked and talked and marveled at Florida wildlife.
Day 3. Poop. No walking. The excuses started and I listened and didn't get out the door.
After that, intermittent walking. No consistent pattern. Excuses dominated.
'It's too cold. He doesn't want to go. I don't want to go alone. I'm too busy. It's too windy to walk on the beach like I want to. I should do all these other things first because they are much more important. I waited too long and now I am tired.' It's getting dark.'
A whole litany of excuses starting singing themselves in my mind.
And then I remembered. Voila! I remembered what I recently learned from a productivity coach.
When we begin any new habit, Day 1 - 10 are vital. We must do the new activity every single day in this early period or we will go nowhere. He likened Day 1- 10 to pushing a boulder up a mountain. Literally, you must push yourself to do it. There is so much internal resistance in this early stage (old habits do die hard and their ego voice like to talk loud!) that without pure discipline and sheer will power nothing new will happen.
He's right.
So now I am past Day 10. I pushed. I made myself walk. Woo-hah!
And guess what, I am loving walking again. In fact, my body is starting to feel weird when I don't go for my fast walk each and every day. Even twenty minutes of hoofing it feels like a pure shot of energy. I'm sleeping better, too.
I don't know that I have lost any weight, but my legs are feeling stronger. My stomach is getting just a teensy bit flatter. My posture is better. My stamina is building. I'm congratulating myself that I'm being faithful to my commitment to honor my body more and give it what it needs for optimum health—for longevity, not for appearances.
I firmly believe our bodies are sacred. And if are to fully live as the sacred—holy and whole—beings we are, we cannot grow our minds, nurture our spirits, and ignore the body vessel. That just doesn't work. It keeps us lopsided, unharmonious, and ill-at-ease with our whole self.
So how are YOU doing these days with any new commitment you've made to your health? To being good to your body and treating it like the temple it is?
I'd love to hear ...
And remember, if you haven't done so hot, that's ok. Every day is a new day. We can always begin again!
And if you'd like some additional support for your journey into the sacredness of your body, visit my friend, Christine, at Bliss Chick. She's dedicated much of her blog to this healing journey and is currently featuring interviews with women who are reclaiming their bodies as sacred. She calls it "EmBody Talk." Today, one of my other dear blog friends, Lisa, from Mommy Mystic, shares her story of traveling into and through her body. Enjoy!
(Image courtesy of clickmailmarketing.com)
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