This is an actual picture of the sign that is at the end of my running loop behind my home in Templeton. I have walked and run this loop many times. Mostly with my sweet boy Moukie.
Each day that I workout I ask myself what feels right? Do I want to go for a walk, a run, hike, Tabata intervals, yoga/stretch or maybe its a rest day?? I have become pretty good at tuning into what I need that day to best support what my body needs, but it has taken time to learn how to listen.
So what does this sign have to do with all of this? Well, as I finish my loop, the road starts to make a slight increase in grade. It’s like the final push in the workout, not much of a hill, but just enough to make you want to stop on a sluggish day or push through and feel like a champ on a good day.
When I see my sign I ask myself, “what do I need today?” (emotionally and physically) . Do I need to push through and show myself that I can make it? Do I need to walk up the slope and cut myself a break? Sometimes I even get almost there and allow myself to stop, just steps short of passing the sign. These are the days that I give into my bodies need to not push through. Then there are the days that I feel like I could pass that sign full throttle (envision chariots of fire!) over and over again. This sign has become very symbolic to me and helps me really check in with where I am at and what I need.
Becoming Your Healthiest Self
Believe it or not, our bodies have all the information we need to be our healthiest selves, we just have to listen. And the more we listen the more attuned we become and the more attuned we become, the better results and success we will see. I wasn’t able to attune to my body until I learned to trust it. And to tell you the truth, I never really learned to trust it, it was just a leap of faith. A knowing inside that told me to just let go and trust what it told me. I had to stop listening to outside sources like my mind (I should, I need to, I have to, what if I don’t…) or what works for other people, articles and books on the latest and greatest, or rigid programs and plans that don’t allow for daily bodily shifts and changes. etc, etc. I started to listen to my bodies cues, its messages, it’s cravings, it’s signals and I have never felt better physically. Don’t get me wrong, information is great and it is so important to keep learning, reading and gathering but take that information, try it on and then listen to what YOUR body tells you.
Your body will tell you when it is hungry, what it is hungry for, when to stop eating, if it needs movement, if it needs rest, what kind of movement it wants and so much more. Just as you listen to a song or watch a movie over and over, you start to notice little things you didn’t hear or see the first time, your body is the same way. You will fine tune your ability to hear what it is saying the longer you listen. And sometimes this process takes learning and trial and error to learn its language.
When we listen, attune and meet our bodies needs, we start to function optimally and feel great. We work in harmony with our body and not against it, and have no need to look outside ourselves for the answers. We can succeed with a program that is designed perfectly for our unique body and it all comes pre-programmed with in us.
Part II of this blog will come this week with tips and ideas of how to tune in, what to listen for and tricks to decode what your body is telling you. Moukie has his eyes on you!
