Kisses...

I love complicated systems.  Except sometimes the systems get too complicated.  That’s the moment when the KISS principle comes in handy.  I’m sure most folks have heard of it before, but just in case, it stands for “Keep It Simple, Stupid.”  (Or, if we are trying to be nicer to ourselves, we can call ourselves silly rather than stupid…)

For fitness, KISS comes down to this:  get moving fast enough to get sweaty and breathe hard, move some heavy-ish stuff, and stretch.

Go.

Stretching a Point and the Point of Stretching

I have been sitting more than usual lately, partly because of a big sewing project, partly because of studying.  I feel like I am accomplishing things, but I also feel… stiff.  I feel stiff even though I do all the things:  I drink lots of fluids, so I have to get up and go to the bathroom every half hour or so.  I stand up and stretch.  I multitask, so I move to change the laundry or do some cooking or put stuff away.

What helps is spending quantity time on Pilates and yoga.  Things would be worse if I didn’t stretch a bit here and there, but what I really need (and I think I am not alone) is enough time and space to allow the muscles to relax for real.  It’s worth the investment of time and energy.  Let’s do it.

It's pretty much always dark at 5.

It is beginning to feel a little more like fall, especially early in the morning when my dog wakes me up to walk.  Getting outside first thing in the morning does help me stay in tune with what is going on with the seasons, although I have to say that dark is dark no matter what season it is.  I see that someone’s apples are ripening and their persimmons are beginning to color.  A lot of roses have transitioned from bloom to hip.  The air feels more energetic and slightly damper.

Maybe our bodies want to make a transition, too.  What faded petals can we discard?  What leaves have dried up and need to blow away?  Maybe we need to add some color.  Some of us feel more zip in the fall and it might be time to kick it up a notch on the cardio.  Others of us feel a turn inward and might want to consider some restorative exercise like yoga or Pilates.

In any case, a fitness change can be a good thing.