Motion and Emotion

If there were a support group for people who loved (and are addicted) to exercise, I would volunteer to be their lead facilitator. I have always loved exercise. When I was younger I “used” exercise as a means to escape emotional pain and other unhealthy addictions. Exercise was a way for me to connect to myself and others in an empowering way and helped me feel so much better about myself and about life. Today I still appreciate the emotional, physical and spiritual rewards I gain from vigorous daily exercise. Moving and sweating each and every morning has become a ritual so important to me that I literally plan every business trip making sure I will have access to a gym or exercise facility early in the morning. Whether you are in need of an affirmative mental/emotional shift, in desire of shedding a few (or more) pounds, or looking to create a more vibrant and healthy life, then I submit one sure-fire positive return on your investment through daily exercise. Embrace exercise in all of its many blessings with enthusiasm and gratitude today.

Now, I do admit to know that I may be in the minority when it comes to my zeal and commitment to exercise. A common misconception around exercise is that it takes too much time. Here is an opportunity to heal that false belief. Studies confirm that we can enjoy the proactive health and disease preventative benefits of exercise in as little as two to three 10 minute bouts of exercise spaced throughout the day. Dedicating yourself to mindful movement before or after breakfast, lunch and dinner is one simple way to stay present to and for the opportunity to build fitness everyday. Once established, you can take that good habit and make it great by adding intensity to each of these 10-minute wellness windows. How? Add interval training practices or change speeds and/or intensity of your walking, running, biking, etc. By doing this you will maximize your innate chemistry for longevity, metabolism and overall results. In much the same way we practice and affirm the connectedness of all things, exercise serves to benefit all areas systems in our bodies too — our cardiovascular, immune, cognitive/neurological, hormonal, circulatory, and other systems all profit when we choose to move.

All motion creates positive emotion. So use this mantra as a catalyst to support your spiritual practices too. Throughout the day you can count on exercise to support you in affirming your life intentions. If you find smaller, more limited thinking creeping in on you-move your body and make your mind bigger with possibility.

A powerful discovery that I have made in my own life is the way morning movement helps center me in the morning before I pray, meditate and do my visioning. It’s like all that restless energy has already been dissipated before I move into that still space and I am able to enjoy a whole new level of clarity and power in these practices. You may know someone or a time yourself when you were meditating and doing all you could to awaken clarity and purpose only to be drawn to a yawn and a greater desire to go back to sleep. Believe me, I have been there too. By employing a new, empowered sequence of mind-body practices my entire being has become more alive with fire and purpose.

The “recipe” is simple and effective. You use the power of natural chemicals that our body’s are blessed with and put them to work: norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine are all ready and willing partners with you in building a clear, positive and alive vision for your life. Every time you choose to move you set these partners in motion too and they go out about the good business of enhancing our practice with confidence and greater conviction.

Motivation to move first thing in the morning may be an issue. Overcoming the inertia of laying in bed may appear to big an obstacle. Here is more good news: In as little as 5 minutes you can ignite a chemical cascade that will serve your body and mind with an effective dose of motivational medicine to get your through every daily practice. It begins with a simple decision to just get up and start moving. Chose to move with gratitude and inspiration, knowing that with every step and every breath we are healing our bodies and raising our consciousness to heal the world around us.