We all know that exercise and movement helps us to feel better right?
Yet what about those amongst us that have had negative experiences around exercise, body image or movement.
What do you think happens when it comes to relaxing and all we hear is that little voice that continually beats us up inside our heads.
Get up, don’t be lazy, get moving you can’t relax.
Do you think that exercise and movement is something that would feel safe and inviting to do in this instance, quite the opposite in fact.
It is natural that the body wants to move and when we don’t there is just a little story blocking the way.
The truth is, our brains are wired to protect us from any danger it perceives – that includes past images, instances, circumstances and events that have had a negative effect and impact on our lives. So….
Let’s have a look at some examples.
First off you can get a feeling for how you felt about exercise. You might like to jot down your thoughts so you can question them further. Ask yourself
* What are my thoughts and feelings about exercise?
* Do I LOVE it or do I HATE it?
If you hate it, I stop to acknowledge you right now for even reading this post. Feel what happens in your body, you may feel angry, ashamed, disappointment or sadness even.
* Maybe you have heard that exercise is a dirty word.
* Or, it’s a lot of hard work achieving the perfect body.
* Here’s a good one – No Pain, no Gain
* If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. That strums up some decent images.
* Maybe you have been criticized and called names.
* Lazy, couch potato.
* You could of witnessed or been apart of a horrendous sporting accident and felt afraid.
* You may of suffered pain, embarrassment or watched another suffer the same way.
These are all reasons to believe that exercise doesn’t sound or feel like fun.
Valid reasons to UN-consciously stop yourself from partaking in any movement or exercise now.
I decided to write this post because I wanted to draw your attention to some of the reasons why we don’t
want to exercise now.
We can be pretty hard on ourselves if we start an exercise program and never stick to it, this is why.
When I was a young girl I was body conscious and very shy.
I went to a Catholic school where there was not a lot of sport practiced apart from the odd game of softball.
I wanted to feel apart so I joined in on a game. I was okay while I was out in the field but then it came time for me to bat.
The girl that was bowling to me stopped and turned around for all to hear, she said ‘Watch this, she will never get this’ and she was right.
To anyone else they may of laughed that off, but to me it put me into a downward spiral of self doubt, embarrassment, insecurity and fear.
What happened in that instance was to effect how I felt about myself with exercise and sport, joining in with a group for a very long time.
These are the past experiences that can be stopping us from enjoying movement today.
Movement that matters starts with getting quiet and observing these patterns in yourself.
It’s about movement that attunes you with who you really are.
Feeling bad, frustrated, angry, ashamed and sad are not the normal manifestations of who we are.
Movement that matters allows you to explore YOUR hidden treasures, your own true gifts of being calm relaxed, natural, joyful and comfortable in your own skin.
Moving while nourishing your life, where you draw in life giving energy (Qi) and use this to stabilize your mind.
This is the kind of movement that really matters as it adds to who we are with trust, being open to love ourselves and others. From this place we are compassionate with ourselves not beating ourselves up.
so…I invite you to….
Explore your thoughts, the hidden beliefs and judgements that keep you stuck.
Don’t push them away or ignore them. You are pushing apart of yourself away.
Listen when that pain in your body speaks, that resistance that you come up against, that extra weight.
It’s not calling out to say, “Hey why don’t you run some more, up your set and your weights.”
These are your clues to what’s been pushed aside. We don’t only carry weight in the physical.
Sorting out the problems that are happening and repeating in our lives all have their roots.
When we are determined to change and look within, then the exercise, the body issues and the movement will take care of themselves – and it’s fun.
Life is all about movement, the ebb and the flow, the opening, closing, gathering and dispersing and the transformation.
Even when you are sleeping or unconscious, what do you think keeps you breathing?
If you are feeling frustrated, stuck or unclear, don’t be afraid or hard on yourself.
Just rest one hand on top of the other, put them on your belly, breath in through your nose and out through your mouth, gently rub your hands in one direction like they are rooted to the spot then in the opposite direction. Repeating for as long as you like. In your mind your message is all is well, all is bright. Qi and blood are flowing freely in my body. Breath.
Wishing you the very best in Health, Wealth & Happiness.
About Susan Whelan
Susan has fought her way through Addictions to Alcohol, Drugs, Body and (Poverty) and has emerged through the other side as a certified Coach in Addiction, Nutrition, Yuan Gong (Qigong) Human Life Development & Yuan Ming Medicine, Tapping into Wealth and IS one of Australia’s first Financially Fit Bootcamp Coach’s with Mindshift.money.
Today Susan call’s on all of her life experiences and all of her technical skills and tools so she can help ‘You‘ Neutralize the uncomfortable emotions and Stress around money, Terminate the Limitation and Implement the Steps and Structures to once and for all ‘End’ your money stress forever while you create your life of ‘Financial Freedom’.
Setting and Following the Financial Foundation Principles WILL take you towards Emotional and Financial Freedom – ‘The Choice is Yours’.
You can Contact Susan and schedule your complimentary 30 min confidential curious conversation where you can discuss where you are now and where you would like to be.
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