Our goal as Massage Therapists is to help our clients achieve a sense of wellness just after one visit, but really we want to encourage them to seek wellness after they walk out our door. That would include drinking enough water, getting enough rest, and exercising. Alan and I don’t want to just preach these things, but live them. For the past several months I, for one have been working harder at it. These things have been a way of life for Alan for many years, so it’s a no brainer and he’s a good example for me.
I enjoy exercise for all of its benefits, but it’s been a struggle to find something that I’ll stick with. I do really well with an exercise routine for a while and then other things come along and take priority. (Sound familiar?) I’ve decided to just accept that and no longer be surprised when the wheel turns, otherwise I get stuck in a rut of silly guilt.
My preferred method of exercise is walking, pilates, and hand weights. As much as I love my treadmill, it had to be forced into hibernation recently–at least until we no longer have neighbors living below us. I was in denial of that fact for many months; the treadmill was my trusted friend. I didn’t want to walk out in the elements and watch for cars while crossing the street. I enjoyed the ability to control my inclines and watch the number of burned calories climb, all while watching an episode of Gilmore Girls or part of a movie on DVD. It was a beautiful system that worked for several years!
I relinquished my hold on the treadmill, however, and discovered some things that I cannot know while pacing on the big rotating black belt. The new outdoor system has been surprisingly ideal and I’m enjoying the momentum (ask me how I’m doing in about 3 months).
Here is what I’ve learned:
1) My city’s street sweepers do an awesome job! I hadn’t thought much about that until recently. They’re awfully busy this time of year, gathering all those leaves blown into the street by the wind AFTER my neighbor’s landscaper blew them into mine.
2) The cold temperatures are easily adapted to as long as my ears are covered–but then again, Winter hasn’t started yet here in Utah.
3) It’s not such a good idea to make one of my walk days be on garbage day with the sun blazing and all the cans lined up along the curb. Pee-eew!
4) Walking to classical music does something to my brain that is really quite cool. That’s not a genre I usually pick to accompany my exercise, but it added variety to a routine To-Do. It didn’t even slow my pace.
5) The homes and yards of my neighborhood, as opposed to seeing a story played out on screen, is not as boring as I thought. I just go a different route every day to change things up.
6) Like anything I’ve done that is truly worthwhile, seeing a difference from my exercise takes a lot of patience. Today–after 3 weeks of getting back into a routine–as I put in my few minutes of jogging, I realized my legs were like a little motor. It felt amazing! I felt like a cartoon where the character is running and the legs are going around so fast that they look like a fan blowing on high. My legs were carrying the rest of my body and it didn’t feel like a chore. I finally get how it works: little by little, keep pushing.
7) And finally, for the hundredth time (I’d like to think I’ve been working at exercising for that long) I remembered how true Elle’s statement is from Legally Blonde. “Exercise gives you endorphins–endorphins make people happy and happy people just don’t shoot their husbands.” The only thing I was shooting my husband with were dirty looks (unintentionally, of course) because of the way I was feeling at times–tired and…tired, but those looks have disappeared. I think. At least I feel better. I’ll have to ask my husband if he’s missed my occasional daggers.
Did you know that the release of endrophins is one of the best benefits of massage therapy? Endorphins not only make people happy, they reduce the intensity of pain.
One thing I know for sure about exercise is that you have to figure out what works for you. And it’s okay that it changes from time to time. I thought my thing was the treadmill, but at the moment I’m enjoying the scenery.