How you feel Is the earliest indicator of your health on a cellular level. The problem is we are so practiced in separating our mind and our body on the rare occasion that we do even check in with how we're feeling it is only checking in with one or the other.

 

Pair the many misconceptions of working out with the marketing of "six pack abs in six weeks" or "14 day booty challenge" we've got a population of people working overtime to manage their bodies while ignoring them at the same time. 

 

Extreme soreness has become the goal in our culture, but pain is often an indication that you've gone too far, too fast. Basic exercise-science principles aren’t what is being touted and improving our health seems to be on the back burner or at least has become significantly misguided. The decision to even make movement a priority usually comes out from fear of illness or felt essential in order to lose weight. 

 

What if instead we choose to use movement as an opportunity as communion with the mind and body and an opportunity for healing.

 

"Our current model sets food and movement as a negative. Eating food (a biological imperative) makes us feel guilty, and we turn movement (also a biological imperative) into punishment. Atonement for diet through exercise. It is no wonder so many people feel unable to begin moving (and eating) in a way that honors both our food and out innate ability to move. We've got it all backwards in our minds." - Move Your DNA

 

There is another side to this same coin. The body keeps the score (of our emotions and experiences). Our experiences and our emotions are processed through the body. When we resist feeling and processing these we begin to store and hold on to them in our body. Where they are stored varies from person to person. It is the resistance of the feeling and not the feeling itself that creates the tension and problems.

 

"Neuroscience research shows that the only way we can change the way we feel (meaning mind/body as a whole) is by becoming aware of our inner experience and learning to befriend what is going on inside ourselves." - The Body Keeps The Score

 

Instead of treating exercise and movement as atonement we begin to utilize movement as communion with the mind and body and an opportunity for healing.

 

The mind body connection is not something we have to work towards, it's been working in harmony without your knowing. Your body, most likely, has also been trying to speak to you in many ways. Begin the practice and act of listening.

 

Love and movement,

Melissa