I once had a client who struggled with a weight issue but felt about exercising the way I feel about doing laundry – a dreadful and tedious chore that has to be done but demands oh so much time, effort, and engagement. His doctor warned him that he had to lose weight or else, and of course this pressure didn’t make the task any more tantalizing.
He was a brilliant computer expert and brainiac of sorts, but he had been struggling with the physical for a long time. There was clearly a disconnect between his physical body and his deep thinking, profound mind. Digging into his athletic past, we discovered several instances where he had felt discouraged about his physical abilities. This turned into an almost fear of moving the body.
Together, we started a process to find the joy of movement. Without pressure, we implemented a very short and limited walking program in which he took several walks around the block, listening to his favorite music while getting his exercise done. I encouraged him to think while walking about the one thing he had really enjoyed as a child, before the fears started building. All children like to play. Through play, we learn to interact, socialize, move, and I would even dare say groove!
So, the day came when my client called me with enthusiasm in his voice as he proudly stated that he had found his “thing”! When I visited him at home that evening, I found him on a dancing mat in his living room! It was one of those games where you have to follow a certain movement pattern to music on the TV screen.
He was laughing, dancing, and sweating, and within a few months, he managed to dance his way down to a 15-pound weight loss and counting! A profound change happened on so many different levels for my client. He was not only getting physically fit, but the joy and laughter about moving was back – and we had not even stepped into a weight room once!
On this Week 3 of our challenge, I would like you to find that spark in yourself that makes you find the FUN in movement, whatever it might be. Of course, it’s necessary to find something that is vigorous enough to be effective, but the fact is, there is no need to step into the weight room if that is a dread for you.
Start finding the joy – it might be finding a friend to walk with and share stories, maybe it’s the dancing mat, perhaps it’s borrowing the neighbor’s dog for a jog if you are a dog lover, or maybe it’s simply dancing by yourself to your favorite music. It can be anything, and the best part of it is, you are the director of finding the FUN.
Make some room in your diary, ponder and write about what used to make you so happy moving as a child. Maybe it was an active game, and if it was, how do you find something similar to do now as an adult? And then I want you to practice your new-found activity for the whole week, just to make it stick. Share your ideas with friends and loved ones, and even inspire them to do the same. Feel what happens when that sensation of having FUN comes back to you. Does it make you energized? Do you want to do more? Are you looking forward to your FUN?
Please let me know how it goes and Live Life Loud!
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