My new “movement manifesto”

*I am a Variety Seeker!  And this is also true for my physical activity.  If I always do the same routine, I get bored and dread working out.

*I must move for movement’s sake and ignore my fear of mockery and judgment.  As I have learned from being at the gym, this is not public school and fellow exercisers are too busy with their own workouts to come over to make fun of me.

*I don’t need brand new gear or the “right” clothes.  Just work with what you’ve got because it’s the movement that matters most.

*When my body wants movement, give it.  I am hankering for a run and the weather forecast is predicting warmer temperatures for the next two weeks.  That means snow-free sidewalks to run on.

*I do not have to do any prescribed exercises.  Regardless of what Phys. Ed. teachers in school, “experts”, or the Primal Blueprint founder say, I can move my body however it wants.  I don’t have to do anything that makes me uncomfortable, unmotivated, or unhappy.  My body is my body.

*My body is my body.  No one gets to judge my health based on their own opinions of what I should be doing.  It’s none of their business.  I am free to make my own choices.  They can worry about themselves instead.

*I am under no obligation to prove myself or my worth as a human being by fitting in to anyone else’s “ideal”!!

Live on,

Paula

Different bodies have different strengths

My friend KL and I go to the gym every Wednesday.  Our latest routine is that I do about 30-45 minutes of free weights, body weight and core exercises before she gets there and then we lap swim for 30 minutes.  Previously, I would do 30-45 minutes of treadmill, free weights, and core exercises before she got there then do 30 minutes of stationary bike, free weights, and core exercises with her.  Over the course of the 3+ years we’ve been going to the gym, I have learned new things my body can and can’t do.  My realizations then lead KL to similar or opposing realizations.  For example, I find bridges and side planks easy to do.  That’s because I am a plus size woman who uses micro versions of these movements to move my body in general.  Before a winter hiatus, I could do sit-ups (I’m working to get that back).  KL is good at bridges but not side planks or sit-ups.  However, KL can do one-legged bridges and bear crawling while I cannot (yet?)

Last weekend, I went hiking with my friends KL and SE.  It was approximately 5km, a distance KL and I have walked for the Terry Fox Run in previous years.  Therefore, it threw me for a loop when said hike left me with such tight and painful calf muscles that it took me 3 days before I could walk normally and included taking a day off work and it took 4-5 days before I could walk down stairs pain-free.  I had been expecting a nice walk in the woods but ended up being the slowest of the group in an unintended endurance test.  I can at least say that I finished it!  However, it did bruise my ego and has fired up my desire for that to never happen again.  I will be augmenting my workout by working more on bear crawls, stair climbing, and other leg-specific exercises.  I also intend to walk to work more often.  My new motto is: if I can survive that park for 3 hours, I can survive the (insert miserable-weather-condition here) for 30 minutes.

Live on,

Paula

Activity Info:

Where: Shelburne, Ontario, Canada

Cost: Free [as of May 2015]

More info: Ontario Parks ; I used the Bruce Trail iPhone app while we were hiking to make sure we made it back to the car.