There's something about a body in motion that absolutely fascinates me. Which is also why I am constantly in motion. I am constantly challenging myself to try new things and also look back at things I used to do and try them again. It's kind of sort of really totally amazingly fun.
When we were kids we did just about everything, right? We were constantly playing. We were always doing. And if you were one of those girls like me, you probably got that dress dirty your mom dressed you up in because you insisted on going outside and playing before changing into more suitable clothing. Cops and Robbers and intense games of tag were the best in my suburban neighborhood. Learning to skateboard {something I want relearn to do this year and not just coast along}, teaching myself to surf…Rad things that kept us moving were the norm! As a pseudo-adult I have continued to base my life on movement. I threw the idea of going to law school out the window and chased the dreams I had as a 12-year old and she would be freaking proud of everything I am. Today, I am an athlete. I am a coach. I am a model. But I am also a human and humans are made to move.
When we spent our summers outside playing, we were fit. We didn't know this is what we were, but we were fit. We were healthy. Most of us could typically down as much food as we wanted and did not care what we looked like in the mirror, right? Why di
d that have to change? Healthier eating habits should be awesome part of what happens when we get "older" but why not maintain that healthy habit of movement to continue boosting that amazing positive body image of ours— because you are freaking amazing, don't let anyone, especially you tell you anything but amazing things about yourself.
I go back. All the crazy I have been through in my life comes back to movement in all forms. From the time I was learning to walk at 9 months old— from what Momz tells me, I really hopped up on my toes and sprinted across the room— to now when I still sprint on my toes to finish lines when racing: movement is engrained in me. I was a dancer, a gymnast, a soccer girl, a runner, a swimmer. I still swim. I rode bikes everywhere growing up. Rollerblades were freaking rad. I mean, my kindergarten PE Teacher gave me the nickname Smasheton and it stuck.
I loved movement then and I love it now. I'm a lady with chronic illnesses that are seen as debilitating but they don't stop me. I regularly forget I have them because I told them to suck it. My passion for life and movement keeps me from letting anything but positive vibes take over. Bad days happen, but that's not my whole life. My passion for health and fitness are why I get to write to you about this fantastical lifestyle of mine.
Time to get real: what has changed in so many of us as we became adults? Why have so many of us become sedentary? Many blame their jobs but the way I see it, the lack of movement is a choice that was made. While injuries get in the way at one point or another, the are so many amazing ways to keep moving and keep living the way we did as kids. Fitness has become something we see as a chore. Fitness is not seen as something fun anymore and we are setting a terrible example for the youth in this country. No wonder we have a problem.
Let's change the tone of fitness back to what it was before we knew any better. Let's change that vibe and make movement awesome again. I actually hate the word "cardio" and the connotation it has with it. You dread "cardio" but love to play basketball or go for a swim. So while we change the tone of fitness, let's also stop calling your workouts "cardio" and tell it like it is.Playing ball and swimming are cardiovascular exercises or "cardio," call them what they are and you will love what they do.Call that exercise what it is and you'll have a lot more fun with it. And while you're at it, pick a better workout that gives you the same workout as that stupid stair-stepper that you hate doing anyway.
Change the tone of what you are doing and you'll change the way you see the world. We ran around and played tag as kids. That was cardio but we didn't know that it was cardio. We were just playing.
Let's look at fitness as movement. Let's get back to play.
The exhaustion of life when you haven't worked out in months catches up to you and what goes on mentally and physically will too. Spring is here and rolling fast into summer months. Winter is behind us. Take a deep breath in and let it go. Think about your favorite childhood adventure. What did you used to love to do that you don't anymore? Hold onto that thought. Recently I was in a terrible rut myself. Nothing appealed to me like gymnastics and dance and yoga and exploring did. I'm a runner and swimmer and I ride bikes too. My goal this year is to race again after being benched for over a year courtesy of the above mentioned illnesses. But I could not bring myself to do the other things things I absolutely love. I was fighting with them. Some body parts of mine are too but that's because I've been doing this thing lately where I embrace what has been itching at my soul to do: MOVE. I went back to the pure movement of dance and play with a few runs and things here and there. My hyper-mobility still makes things fun for me -- except my knee with this whole running thing if I do too many yoga classes.
The trivial side of my work life had gone over my head as I started stressing over getting signed with this, partnerships with that, photoshoots that I love, finishing certification tests, and so much more of my amazing life. It caught up with me. I wasn't taking enough mental time to breathe and play anymore. I was also piling on this amazing load of inspiration and getting ahead of myself on other things because I realized I was ready to let the rest of my story come out and I was chasing all these dreams and wanted to jump into other things but then this and that and I am also scared of racing again. And managing myself and gah. I'm speaking so fast in my head right now.. I can't keep up again.
Guess what? I shut down and became obstinate BUT I never stopped moving. I found another outlet to keep moving and maintain that ugly word I am trying to change the tone of: fitness.
Instead of letting my work completely get in the way and letting that be an excuse to stop moving, stop working out, to stop training, I utilized other talents I stored away a very long time ago to keep me moving and having fun. I've been doing more gymnastics on my own and for the first time in over 10 years I tried a back walkover and got it. I was stoked. Why have I waited so long? That goes back to a hesitation associated with the last back handspring I did and a spot who didn't spot me. I plan to attack that back handspring soon.
Bringing back these old motions I used to love during this time of obstinance not only kept me moving but it kept life fresh and has been an amazing form of cross training too. Here's the thing: I made time for movement. I always make time for my training but I stopped making time for pure movement, for play and that was my mistake. Play is my "fitness," and I always want more things I can do to stay active.
So now, I am bringing this back to that thing I had you dig up. That memory of something you used to love to do but don't anymore. I challenge you to try it again. Movement is fun, it's freeing, it's happy. Whatever you used to do, try it again soon. Don't hurt yourself but pick up that tennis racket sometime in the next month or go hit balls at the batting cages. Take your workout to the playground and just do things. Take a beginner ballet class or go surfing if you can rent a board. Challenge yourself to try something you used to do again. It's fun. And it's really great cross training for whatever you do right now. And hey! If there is something you never got to do and always wanted to do as a kid and have been inspired to do as an adult:
GO DO THAT THING.
Go chase that fantastical something. Try something new or try something old but in this springtime atmosphere filled with newness, be bold, go do rad things. Help change the tone of fitness. Go play. Find that balance and stop calling it cardio.
