The Power of Body Awareness

I’ve reached the age where aches and pains start to become more noticeable and last longer. I remember playing with my friends as a child and always hearing the adults say how jealous they were that we were so flexible, able to run all day, and could wake up without being stiff and groggy. I never truly understood what they meant until now. I’ll be turning 26 this year which I’ve heard is the time “everything starts to go downhill” with your body. I’ve decided I don’t want to accept this, because I’m still very young and there’s a whole lot more life to live.

Perhaps it’s because I have a Degree in Kinesiology under my belt, but I tend to pay close attention to how my body is feeling and think of how I could fix it. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely ignore the dull pains and stiffness a lot of the time as we all do, but I’m becoming more and more aware throughout the day about what I am feeling and what my body needs.

Taking a short amount of time out of your day to meditate or even just to exercise is a great way to notice what’s going on in your body. Then, taking the time to stretch, or take care of muscles in whatever way they need it will keep your joints nice and flexible which will benefit your whole body. One tight or weak muscle can cause a ripple effect and lead to pain in other areas of the body. It’s truly amazing how our bodies work like a machine and if one part isn’t functioning correctly, it can mess up the entire system.

The more we stay in the habit of ignoring what is going on and what our body needs, the more dysfunctional the whole system will become. This is where it can lead to more severe issues in the future and the rest of our lives. There is a lot of room for injury in our lifetime, but if we stay on top of our physical fitness the chances of this happening will decrease and the severity of the injury can also decrease too.

I’ll use shoulders as an example. Let’s say we kept our rotator cuffs flexible and strong. If we got in an accident that would likely cause a dislocated shoulder, we might have more luck since our strong muscles will keep our shoulder joint in tact and have more range of motion before tearing could occur. Avoiding the dislocated shoulder altogether would avoid months of physiotherapy, pain management, and potential for getting a dislocated shoulder in the future. So perhaps paying attention to what seems like an insignificant part of our bodies could make a huge difference for our future.

Then when I think of old age, there are a lot of women that have osteoporosis and break bones often from falls. As we get older, it gets a little more difficult to build and maintain muscle. This is why it’s so important for us to pay attention to our bodies and give it what it needs in order to reduce the amount of pain and suffering we might endure as we get older.

So, the power that body awareness can provide is preventing a lifetime of aches and pains – by simply paying attention to what isn’t feeling right and making the choice to attend to it.

The First Run – Training for a 10k

Oh god. My friend asked me to do a 10k run with her at the end of June. They have made it a virtual race, meaning the warm up will be done on Facebook live, the free merchandise will be mailed to us, and they will post the route prior to the day of the race… then I suppose we will just record our time? It’s cool to see how everyone is trying to adapt to COVID-19.

Anyways, I am not a runner. I enjoy strength training and can sprint while I’m playing sports, but long distance running is not my thing. I told my friend I could maybe handle a 5k run, which is an option, but I kind of want to challenge myself because I pretty much don’t have an excuse. I have a running buddy, I have all the time in the world, the weather is beautiful, and I have an end goal.

I immediately got my inhaler prescription renewed (which was expired for two years… what can I say, I hate cardio so therefore I tend to avoid it). I dusted off my old runners and planned the flattest route I could think of around my neighbourhood. My friend is planning a running schedule for us starting on Monday, but I had to test out just how bad my cardio was.

This morning I woke up, didn’t even look at my phone, warmed up a bit then began walking towards my path. I didn’t bring my phone or music or water or anything because I didn’t want to complicate the process – this will need to be fine-tuned later on. And so, I began a light jog.

I felt like I weighed 500 lbs. I could feel every part of my body dragging me down, confused that it wasn’t sitting on a couch. My muscles didn’t know how to wake up, and my spine just wanted to crumple into a terrible posture. I had lead feet and my knees were weak. How have I let my cardio go so far downhill?!

After a very, very short amount of time, I began to walk. I continued this method of running a little, then walking a lot, the whole way. It was quite painful in all sorts of ways. I was thinking back to when I played soccer and volleyball in high school, and how good my cardio was. However, back then I wasn’t very strong. So now I am somewhat strong but have terrible cardio. Wouldn’t it be amazing if I was both strong AND had good cardio?! Hmm… perhaps that could be a reality.

By the end I was completely out of breath and it had only been about half an hour. I did some long stretches when I got home, feeling good that I gave it a whirl. Not to mention, it was a gorgeous morning so I’m also glad I went outside.

I looked up “best breakfast to have after a run” for further motivation and excitement, even though I already know what my body needs. I chose the oatmeal and peanut butter option, topped with vanilla greek yogurt, cinnamon, and sliced banana. This happens every time I’ve tried to get into running. I get all excited and motivated for a couple of days until I realize it’s super not fun. I even made green tea… which is probably the last thing I would choose to drink in the morning, but I know it’s good for me.

Needless to say, I am looking forward to seeing my proper running schedule that I’ll do with my friend. She will be the person I need to keep me motivated and we can push each other to reach our goal. This just may be my chance to actually run a 10k.

The Early Morning Hike

Top of Black Mountain in British Columbia

There is something about being in nature early in the morning that makes everything seem better. I think the reason that the early morning hike in particular seems so wonderful is because it doesn’t happen often. The effort to get out of bed, find a hike, do the exercise and see the view from the top is quite rewarding, but I do wonder if that feeling would go away if I did it every day.

There are not a lot of things that motivate me to wake up early anymore, yet it is still ingrained in my brain that the early morning is the best time of day. Now I find myself staying up later and later and have the desire to sleep in more and more. This is partially due to the fact I’m laid off, but even while I was working I would hit the snooze button much more often.

I think it’s important to find something that excites you to wake up and start your day every single day. It’s so easy to come up with excuses as to why there’s no point in waking up if you don’t have to. I envy people who go for a jog, bike to work, or walk their dogs in the morning every day. I have always wanted to be “that person” and I have tried many times, but haven’t made a habit out of it.

I have a new goal to go outside every morning, first thing. It might not exactly be in the forest but it’ll be a step closer to nature. I aim to ignore all of the distractions inside my home, and ignore all of the thoughts in my head saying “you don’t REALLY need to go outside” and just go. Even if it’s just to take the recycling out, or to go for a short little walk, I know it will benefit me.

I’ve been thinking about the reason why I love the idea of the early morning hike so that I can implement its benefits every day. Here is what I have come up with:

It’s usually a bit cooler in the morning which wakes up your senses and nervous system.
The smell of the fresh air endorses positive thoughts, and the colours I see remind me of how beautiful nature is.
The movement of going outside will bring in endorphins leading to a better mood.
The sounds of the birds will bring joy (unless they are Magpies, those birds are the worst).
It gives the feeling that something has already been accomplished for the day.

So I think whether you decide to just step outside in the morning, or go on a full on hike, either choice will provide the same benefits. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Getting Past the Discomfort of Exercise

No matter what fitness level you are, your mind will always try to resist exercising in one way or another. However, it’s much more difficult when you are getting started after a long period of not exercising. The excuses come flowing in, in all sorts of ways.

For me, it’s difficult to get the same feeling after a home workout as I do after a sports game. Whether I’m playing basketball or soccer, I don’t have time to think about how awful the cardio is feeling. When I go for a run, I am ONLY thinking about how awful the cardio is feeling. This is why I need to make exercise more fun and exciting especially during quarantine, rather than dragging myself into something and half-assing it. Here are some things I have come up with that might also help you distract yourself from the discomfort of exercise:

1. Wear your favourite exercise clothes

This might seem unimportant, but it makes a huge difference at least for home workouts. I’ve noticed that when I try to exercise in the morning wearing my pj’s and in bare feet, I just don’t try as hard because it feels like I should still be lounging around. If you have a hard time making the move to find exercise clothes, try taking them out the night before so you don’t even have to think about what you’re going to wear. Go as far as wearing your favourite socks and sports bra… Whatever will make you feel 10/10.

2. Create an awesome playlist

If you tell me that you don’t have any songs that give you an abundance of energy, I absolutely wouldn’t believe you. Take the extra 5-10 minutes to create a playlist for yourself with songs that you know will get you in a good mood. When you hear a good beat or start to sing along, I guarantee your energy will change instantly.

3. Choose your environment wisely

Doing a home workout can be hard when you are used to relaxing or cleaning the area that you are in. That’s why I think it’s worth taking a minute to set up your exercise space as best as you can. If you own an exercise mat, put it down on the floor even if you might not use it. Put away all distractions and give yourself the space to be able to move around freely. Alternatively, exercising outdoors is a great way to get fresh air and some nice scenery to look at.

4. Start simple

Being fit and healthy doesn’t happen over night, but any small steps you take will contribute to your health. Sometimes, I overwhelm myself with everything I should be doing when really I should just focus on something that will get me moving. Some days I will just put music on and dance… by myself… whether I’m cleaning or just feeling down. Other days I will just choose 3 exercises and only do them one time through. Even going for a walk has benefits – although it might be low-intensity, it still helps lift my mood and clear my head.

5. Pay more attention to how you feel afterwards

It’s easy to finish exercising and immediately go and get something to eat, or start doing tasks you want to accomplish for the day, or sit down to watch TV. I often forget how good I feel after exercising because I am focusing so much on what I should be doing for my workouts, or feeling guilty if I haven’t exercised in a while or my workouts haven’t been as hardcore as I thought they should be. I think it’s important to take a moment after you exercise to notice how your thoughts have changed, how good your joints and muscles feel, what food you want to eat (I am usually more likely to eat healthy after exercising), and how proud you feel about what you just accomplished.

All in all, I believe it’s possible to minimize the initial discomfort of exercising by using these strategies. Once you get past this discomfort and become more fit, the discomfort won’t seem so bad.

The Struggle of Staying Fit

It seems like it takes a fair amount of effort to stay fit in our society. Obviously more so if you have a rather sedentary job that requires little to no physical labour. It’s a fact that the more active you are, the more energy you have to be more active. In my opinion, having a sedentary job is a pretty big determining factor if you have the energy to workout after work. That being said, it sounds like the best solution is to workout before work to get it out of the way, but then you have to wake up earlier to have enough time to do a workout and shower… after a terrible sleep from being stressed and inactive. It’s easy to be stuck in a cycle of excuses and negative thinking. Not to mention, not having a strong reason as to why you need to stay physically active makes it even harder to stick to a routine.

Know your “why”

If you don’t have a very convincing and good reason as to why you want to keep up with your physical health, I guarantee that you will not do anything. Think of the reason why we go to work. We must have a pretty convincing “why” since we do our best to go in every day of the week. Maybe it’s because you need to make money to survive, or you don’t want to get fired, or you are working with a coworker on a project – these are just a few reasons why we go to work.

I have struggled with having a solid “why” for staying physically active. I genuinely enjoy sports for the social and competitive aspects, but as an adult I have to go out of my way to find and pay for a sports league. I have paid for gym memberships, yoga classes, other fitness classes, recreational sports etc because I know that if I don’t have all of these obligations, I will not stay active. I used to be a personal trainer for a few years so I would workout between clients because I was already there and had nothing better to do. Now that I’m in quarantine, it has become very apparent that I don’t have a strong enough “why” to stay active.

I am not overweight, I don’t have any health issues, I am fairly strong (which may slowly diminish if I don’t do anything about it) and there is no need for me to have good cardio as I don’t have physical labour to do. However, there is still a little fire inside of me that thinks that if I don’t create good habits now, I will not be healthy when I am older. The small little voice I have in the back of my head will whisper the “why” to me every now and then to get me back on track. Ashley, you do not want osteoporosis, heart disease, or to be confined to a wheelchair when you are older.

Make it a habit

Somehow, I manage to brush my teeth every morning and every night. I have been doing this my whole life and thus, it has become a habit. So why didn’t physical activity stay as a habit? Well, in high school you sit in desks all day, then plan to drink with your friends on the weekends, and only some people stay in organized sports. When I was in school, there were only a few people that consistently went to the gym, and I was not one of them. I stuck to sports which is good, but I didn’t do it for the reason of being fit. I just liked the game and hanging out with friends.

In university, you sit in class all day then plan to drink with your friends on the weekends… or weekdays. It’s strange to me that growing up, we never really cared about each other’s physical health. I’m not sure what it’s like now, but it would be amazing if it was “cool” to go to a Zumba class on Friday night with your friends, or to ask your peers what they have been doing to stay physically active.

I think in order to make a habit out of physical activity it’s important to make it a part of your routine at the same time every day, but I think it’s MORE important to surround yourself with supportive people. I have a few friends that I can rely on who enjoy being active or who count on me to do something active. If you currently don’t have a support system with the same desires as you, maybe find people online who constantly support each other in their weight loss journey, or who just generally want to stay fit and healthy.

Do whatever it takes

When I find myself in a sedentary rut, the first thing I do is reach out to my fit and healthy friends, and ask them what they’ve been eating, what they’re doing to stay active, or even just ask them to go on a hike to get started. I will look at healthy recipes, google some workouts, or watch some inspiring YouTube videos on how to stay fit and healthy. Once I am fully convinced as to why I should continue to work on my physical health, I am a lot more likely to get up and do something to get back on track.

The other day, a good friend of mine who I often turn to for fitness advice said to me “just do something simple for 10 minutes – squats, lunges, push ups – as soon as you wake up.” This sounds really simple to do, but I needed her to say that to me because of how I overthink things sometimes. In my head, I need to eat beforehand to fuel my body, do a proper 30-60 minute workout, have something to eat after my workout, shower, and eat healthy for the rest of the day otherwise it wasn’t worth it. That is A LOT of pressure to put on myself every single day, which is why I get into these inactive ruts. The most important thing for your physical health is literally to just move. It’s not a big deal if you don’t eat before, or if it doesn’t make you sweat, or if it’s not a proper workout regimen with sets and reps… just do whatever it takes to move every day.

Support each other

I think that anything is possible with the support of others. I would love to read your comments about how you are staying physically active, especially during quarantine, and any other tips you may have to maintain a consistent routine.