Stop Exercising

Stop Exercising.

You may be thinking, this is insane, I won’t stop exercising, that is a recipe for disaster.

But, hear me out.

Exercise carries with it an implied definition, as in movement we do for the purpose of being some way different.  Sometimes it is stronger, sometimes it is to run farther, sometimes to be more agile, and many times to lose weight.  Meaning, exercise is our replacement for the natural human instinct to move.

We never had exercise until modern civilization, there wasn’t a need, we never forgot to move, or forgot to walk or use our body.  Now, we count steps.

The question is: Is there a difference?

Yes! A dramatic one! Exercise done on obligation is like any other chore, we do it, but we don’t love it, and our body knows the difference.  Think of the last time you went dancing with good friends or played at the beach with your kids, that was exercise, but did you experience it as such? Not likely, because you weren't there for a particular effect or a specific outcome, you were there for fun! Meaning, you entered a totally new relationship of time and energy, where both were abundant and you could just keep going.  

Why does it matter? Because our bodies have had enough of us forcing them to respond to things we think they should do, they are tired or being told that “they” are too slow, or “they” don’t have enough muscle and “they” need to have a lower appetite, or digest better, or sleep better or be thinner.  Our body is wise and doesn’t want to be the responsible party to our lives of stress, overwhelm and exhaustion.

When I find a woman who is really exhausted, I often tell her to stop all movement except that which is just for fun, no competition, no pushing, no forcing herself to move, for once in her life, make rest the priority and allow her body to dictate what constitutes fun movement.

This is a wondrous place of healing, a really magical one, where laying down on the grass is celebrated, where dancing in the kitchen is applauded and where doing nothing is a real part of healing.

See, if you stop forcing your body, initially, yes, there may be a time where reality shows through, that you are indeed tired, and do in fact need to rest.  But, as you replenish energy, not just by resting, but by building organ systems, and feeling feelings and balancing emotions and loving yourself just as you are while eating foods to feed your cells and giving back to your amazing body...you will feel the desire to move happen again, I have no doubt, but this time, it won’t be to meet the numbers on some device or to hit the orange zone or to “crush” it, but rather to love you, to play, to laugh, to be joyful and to have FUN.

From this space, other things find their ease too...relationships, health, abundance, joy and so much more.

So, stop the exercise and start to rest and play and see what happens!