Getting to the heart of the matter

In the spirit of it being the week of Valentines Day (enter eye roll) but also Heart Health Month lets traverse all things love, resilience, and working out!

On Love: I LOVE it when obvious things that I know and have lived come, go, and then re-enter my life like a it is an entirely new concept. Last week in a discussion and then listening session on utilizing strengths in our daily life the topic of love came up as a strength. And the conversation went from giving love to receiving love (we are not necessarily talking romance here) in the spirit of relating to others, accepting kindness from others and not just giving of ourselves to everyone else. This seemed so simple but has been my February profound moment that was just a great reminder. So take a moment and think about that. Do you receive offerings of kindness, compliments and gifts well? Some of us are better than others and it is certainly something to consider, reflect on, and practice in either direction especially if you feel like something is lacking in your life or if you are feeling burned out in one or more areas of life. When it comes to making time for exercise, optimal nutrition or self-care priority this is a discussion we often have to have with clients here not to mention with ourselves as coaches given that we are so attuned to selflessly and endlessly giving to others.

On Resilience: One of my favorite expressions in the work we do day in and day out with clients and prospective clients is “Every BODY has a story.” This means every physical and emotional body. As we begin a relationship with human beings here at Body Essentials we are entrusted with and take in a lot of information about people: Goals, experiences, failures, successes and fears to name just a few. With that comes a heaviness and lightness of giving, receiving and caring as we work purposefully to help people transform themselves physically which also results in an emotional transformation around confidence, behaviors, beliefs and past experiences. Exercise is medicine, therapy, and FUN all in one gorgeous yet sweaty package. I always share that one workout will make anyone feel better in the moment but there is a damned if you do/damned if you don’t impact of long-term exercise: Pain! Many people find their way to exercise to get stronger to minimize pain from weakness. Many people experience pain in exercise from the newness of it as a physiological response to new stimulus and intensity. AND many will experience pain from continued exercise as they get stronger and we continue to challenge them to grow and get better and reach goals and reach different areas of the body that are ready and able to work effectively. The bottom line is that with pain comes growth and improvement in the body and out of the body when we look in the mirror. And probably the coolest thing about resilience is JUST THAT. The ability of any BODY to bounce back. Now I am talking about people who have had significant setbacks in life and move through them to become what I consider amazing super heroes of or to themselves. Heart Disease is the #1 killer of men and women but I can (and I sure you can) share at least 6-7 stories of people who have had significant heart events who are absolutely crushing life, particularly very physically active lives.

On Working Out: You must do the thing you think you cannot do! And maybe do it more than once. We have asked our community to participate in many activities around vision building and goal setting for this year and so many take the challenge very seriously and set the bar high. From pull ups, 5K’s, Spartan Races, 100 mile bike rides, extended plank holds and fine tuning other activities around strength and cardiovascular pursuits our community is fierce and on fire and embracing exercise. If you know you should workout but are scared, take the step, because it can change your life if you let it. Exercise will keep you young, make you young again, and help prevent countless age related accidents if you are not participating in some sort of exercise routine. So change your mind and change your body by exercising fiercely but appropriately for where you are at right now!

So I invite you, no, insist that you celebrate yourself this week, and every week. At times the world, our country, our community seem dark and often times we are hard on others and ourselves unnecessarily so just stop it. Be nice to you. And as Ellen DeGeneres says each and everyday “Be kind to one another.” This is our one life ….. Go for it whatever IT means.

-Christie