It's a little over a month into the new year, how are you doing with your new year's resolutions? So many people make goals in regards to exercise, diet, weight loss, etc just to have them fall flat a month or so into the year. A mentor of mine once told me small steps create big change. Below is a recent personal example of that principle in action. Make 2013 the year you bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
The other day I decided to spend my daily 20+ min of nurturing/feeding my spirit doing some physical activity. As I mentioned previously, I spent January cocooning and so much of the self care had been in the form of power naps and so my "exercise" was reduced to chasing my toddler and doing massage. My body was telling me I needed more though...my back was a bit sore and I had been having some headaches. When I went to stretch, my hamstrings were so tight I could only reach the middle of my shins. As I started to scold myself my own words to a client a few nights prior surfaced. She had commented on how she was at "bottom". I told her that she was actually starting at baseline. "Ok" I told myself, "I'm gonna take my own advice I'm at baseline". Truth is we are constantly changing and evolving...it's not possible to go back to square one.
So rather than spend time berating myself, I began to stretch and repeatedly tell myself "I am becoming more flexible and vitally healthy every moment". After doing some hamstring active isolated stretches (AIS) and moving meditation, I was able to reach my toes. My back and neck were also more relaxed with the decrease in hamstring tension...woohoo no more pain or headaches! The next day I started out reaching my ankles and by the end of the hamstring AIS protocol (which took 10 minutes less than the day before) I was able to relax into a position holding my toes. The third day I started out touching my toes and was able to use the time doing other AIS stretches and a moving meditation and by the end was reaching beyond my feet. Three less than 30 min sessions to increase my flexibility from uncomfortably reaching the middle of my shins to easily reaching beyond my toes.
Try asking yourself, "what is one baby step I can take today towards that ultimate goal"? Celebrate your baseline and focus on the times you do work towards your goal...that's you making a conscious choice to step up and move towards a happier, healthier life.
The other day I decided to spend my daily 20+ min of nurturing/feeding my spirit doing some physical activity. As I mentioned previously, I spent January cocooning and so much of the self care had been in the form of power naps and so my "exercise" was reduced to chasing my toddler and doing massage. My body was telling me I needed more though...my back was a bit sore and I had been having some headaches. When I went to stretch, my hamstrings were so tight I could only reach the middle of my shins. As I started to scold myself my own words to a client a few nights prior surfaced. She had commented on how she was at "bottom". I told her that she was actually starting at baseline. "Ok" I told myself, "I'm gonna take my own advice I'm at baseline". Truth is we are constantly changing and evolving...it's not possible to go back to square one.
So rather than spend time berating myself, I began to stretch and repeatedly tell myself "I am becoming more flexible and vitally healthy every moment". After doing some hamstring active isolated stretches (AIS) and moving meditation, I was able to reach my toes. My back and neck were also more relaxed with the decrease in hamstring tension...woohoo no more pain or headaches! The next day I started out reaching my ankles and by the end of the hamstring AIS protocol (which took 10 minutes less than the day before) I was able to relax into a position holding my toes. The third day I started out touching my toes and was able to use the time doing other AIS stretches and a moving meditation and by the end was reaching beyond my feet. Three less than 30 min sessions to increase my flexibility from uncomfortably reaching the middle of my shins to easily reaching beyond my toes.
Try asking yourself, "what is one baby step I can take today towards that ultimate goal"? Celebrate your baseline and focus on the times you do work towards your goal...that's you making a conscious choice to step up and move towards a happier, healthier life.
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