Exercise is the only thing I know to cure pain from the past. The rest of this blog post is a summary of my latest workout. I’m sharing this to help motivate you and to understand myself.
Each workout has an intention or a purpose, and in the end, something important is learned. Very few workouts are exceptional, some are average, and most are rough, but all are transformational.
Here is the latest footstep into my fit to live journey…
Workout:
How Did I Feel Before the Workout?
Physically, I am quite sore. My arms are still barking at me from Friday’s strength workout and helping my parents-in-law with a chimney sweep. Also, I am quite tired of having a bonfire that went late at night. So, all-in-all, a great weekend of activity!
What Was My Intention?
Sometimes, the best place to workout is in nature. Today, my family decided to head out to Fundy National Park and hike Laverty Falls. I came into this to simply clear my lungs with the fresh air of the forest and enjoy some disconnected time with my peeps.
What Workout Did I Do?
- Hike: 5 km in the woods with challenging hills.
How Did I Feel After the Workout?
I felt satisfyingly tired. While my arms and shoulders are still quite sore, my legs felt refreshed from the hike. The clean air gave me just the right amount of clarity to start my week.
What Did I Learn?
I learned that nature has an abundance of lessons in perseverance. As we stopped to hang out at a waterfall area on our hike, I noticed a young tree defying the laws of logic by growing out a rocky-faced wall. It shows that we are all meant to do great things, things that must defy our limitations.
The Story Behind This
Fitness means much more than toned muscles, physical strength and endurance. Building an intimate connection between your mind and body is the true definition of fitness. Life can be tough on you sometimes, and it is only made tougher if that connection is missing.
If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.
Thomas Jefferson
I spent many years trying to recover from the the fallout of childhood sexual trauma. My mind was continually trying to disconnect from a body that didn’t feel my own. It wasn’t until I discovered exercise that I was able rebuild that connection and become someone whole and worth living for. Every workout is just another chance to get a little closer to who I really am.