Friday Non-Book Report: Something Will Work

(No, I didn’t read much this week.  Attention span lacking.  I will catch up soon.)

Some weeks, our bodies hit their stride.  Sometimes the body faces challenges, but our minds dig in and help us find a creative way through the issues.  Some fabulous times, our minds and bodies work together artfully and we make huge progress with grace and skill.  Then there are those other times when neither body nor mind seems up to much.

Those times can be discouraging.  Maybe everything hurts.  Maybe we are moving in a brain fog.  Maybe it seems like it will be that way forever.

I would like to have a solution.  I would like to say:  Here’s how to avoid that forever.  Nope.  Sometimes we just have to keep trying stuff until something works.  Something, eventually, will.

Move more

Losing weight, at the most simplistic level, comes from two things:  eating less and moving more.  Of the two, eating less is more effective for weight loss, but moving more has its own benefits.  Here are five:

1.     Body shape.  Thin is nice, but thin and shapely is better.  Muscle tone comes from working the body.  We all admire the curves of a ballerina’s deltoids, biceps, and triceps.  She gets those curves by working!  Please note:  ballerinas work very hard and do not get bulky.  Muscle shape does not mean enormous body-builder inflation.

2.     Mood.  Humans are happier when they are active.  We get emotional boosts from cardio.

3.     Empowerment.  When we get stronger, we become more independent.  We can open our own jars!  We can move our own furniture!  We can rescue gentlemen in distress!

4.     Food.  As muscle mass increases in our bodies, so does our base metabolism.  When we are done losing weight, this translates to the ability to eat the occasional cookie without gaining because our bodies burn more calories even just sitting around.

5.     Community.  When we work out with others, we bond.  Maybe the bonding is as basic as a common hatred for lunges, but that can be the foundation of a lifelong friendship.  Walking with a friend or going on a bike ride can enable deep conversation.  We can encourage each other to grow (or just to survive the workout.)

Let’s get going!

Today's Body

We work out with the body we have today.  I say that a lot.  It’s particularly useful to remember on the days when we are tired or achy or recovering from injury or when an old injury flares up.

Today we might not be able to lift to our previous best level.  It might not even be a good idea to do an exercise that is a particular favorite in today’s circumstances.

But we can always do something.  Maybe it’s a walk around the block or a restorative yoga class.  Maybe we do a few bicep curls while sitting on the couch elevating a sprained ankle.

Pushing the limits doesn’t always mean going longer or faster or heavier than yesterday.