Feeling Good

I got a massage last week.  It felt great.  And it was good for me.

A lot of the time, I think we focus on the things that are good for us that don’t feel great, like burpees, peas, and cleaning the bathroom.  Those things are important.  They need doing.  But there are plenty of things that are good for us that we can enjoy.  Here are some:

Massage (hey, like I said above!)

Baths

Naps

Cuddling

Playing outside

Fresh fruit

Long stretches

Laughter

What feels good and is good that we can do today?

Monday Workout: All Around

This week, we’re doing a good all-around workout.  We have some stability challenges, some core work, some compound exercises, and even some smaller muscle shapers.  Three rounds!

mountain climbers	30
ball bench press	20
curls	10
clean and press	30
lunges	20
lateral raise	10
plyojacks/jacks/mod jacks	30
squats	20
brains	10

Friday Report on Why I Have No Book Report

I woke up this morning and realized that I had not finished the book I intended to write about for today’s blog post.  This has been happening more often.  My first reaction is that I don’t like it.

From there, I can go lots of different ways.  One way is analysis.  Why don’t I like the trend?  Well, it makes me feel like I am failing, like I’m probably lazy.  I feel like the Great Gradebook in the Sky has written me down a slacker.  There probably isn’t a Great Gradebook in the Sky, so perhaps I should relax.

Then I can analyze why I’m not finishing the books.  Only one small part of the issue is anything kind of like slacking.  I do, in fact, have a lot to do other than read.  The books I have been reading lately are more challenging and often longer than those I’ve read in the past.  Some things that are worth doing take longer.

Practically, I have to decide.  I still think that reading and writing about it is a valid exercise for this blog.  My work is about mind and body, so if all I write about is body, I’m cheating.  Which means that on weeks when I don’t finish the book in time, I’ll write some other mind thing for Friday.

Another way to state the problem, which makes the fitness application clearer, is:  I have a goal that is aggressive.  Aggressive goals with deadlines are useful for motivation, but sometimes the deadlines need to be adjusted when it turns out that the worthwhile end is going to take longer than expected, no matter how hard I am working.  Working hard is important; reading is important; goals are important; the most important parts, however, are not quitting and staying positive.

Festina lente

I am not good at taking my time.  Most often, I want to get as much done in as little time as possible.  When it comes to working out, this is useful, but only to a point.

Some things have to take time.  Allowing the body’s energy systems to reboot between sets makes each set better.  Giving the muscles enough time to relax into a stretch creates more flexibility.  Those same muscles really do need a recovery day between weight workouts to rebuild themselves stronger than before.

Yes, let’s be efficient.  But sometimes we have to make haste slowly.

Steps and Dance

In Pilates, a lot of value is placed on the interaction between stiffness and flexibility, the useful tension that allows motion to occur.  We need both structure and motion, both a skeleton and muscle.

This is true metaphorically as well.  Routines can enable our fitness.  Planning can encourage us to eat right and move enough.  And yet, there are times when that very routine, that very plan stifles us.  We need to use the routine for structure, but remember that our mindful presence is what makes life.  We need both steps and dance.

We can use the autopilot mode to get the unpleasant stuff done and then we can fly freely the rest of the time, reveling in the open air and the wide sky.