Happiness, New Starts, and Wake-Up Calls
I almost bought a Peloton the other day. I also almost bought a 6-month subscription to a fitness app designed to give me a recommended daily workout, a couple of fancy new yoga mats, some type of new rocking device that mimics running, and a membership to my local YMCA’s gym and swimming pool. All for the low, low price of a few thousand dollars, give or take.
I know what you’re thinking — that doesn’t sound like me at all. You’re right. It doesn’t. I don’t buy random stuff. Also, I belong outdoors. Being inside too much makes me itchy. But we’ve had the coldest, snowiest month Western Maine has experienced in at least a few decades, and after this week’s ice storm, everything is now covered with a giant ice sheet.
Cabin fever is setting in.
Also, I’ve been struggling with longstanding pain from a slow-healing back and neck injury, so exercising outdoors on slippery surfaces (even with spikes or crampons on my shoes) just isn’t in the cards for me right now.
Getting older isn’t for the weak.
My body is begging me to move more, my back isn’t getting any stronger from sitting around all day, and with the start of the New Year, everyone seems to be talking about getting into shape or selling some surefire thing to make it happen quickly. Which leaves me feeling like I need to make a few changes.
Maybe you can relate?
So I thought about trying to buy my way out of my discomfort. Tough it out and make myself learn to love exercising indoors. Because the truth is heaps of people exercise indoors, and those tools I almost bought actually do work. They work for a lot of people (like probably a majority of people). So technically they could work for me too, if only I weren’t, well, me.
No, thank you.
Thankfully, I shook myself out of my cabin fever stupor and my heart reminded my brain of something very important ~ I will never actually use that stuff enough to warrant the price tag.
Never in a million years.
So, I decided to lean into what I know works best for me (the real me) in times like these . . .
#1
Look for one easy-to-adopt new tool that fits who I am
#2
Keep doing what works for my body
#3
Do the work inside my heart, too
I’ve been here many times before. I know better than to pretend I’m someone I’m not (and don’t really want to be). So, I set about investing in a new yoga mat because my old one is so worn out it’s starting to self-compost onto the knees of my yoga pants every morning. I bought some decent snowshoes for when the ice melts a little because I lost my old ones in our move last year, and I started looking for one small, easy-to-adopt new low-cost tool and a few new books for inspiration.
One Easy New Tool:
With a quick search on YouTube, I found four 15-minute workout videos that really fit who I am and the kind of movement that feels the best to my body while pushing me and helping me get stronger. They’re easy enough that I can do them in 60 minutes or less every day (with the bedroom door locked, of course), but they’re hard enough that they make me break a sweat in minutes and keep my heart rate pumping hard throughout.
Old Tools That Work:
After almost a decade of practicing yoga, I know it works for me. I’ve used it to heal longstanding hip and spine alignment issues, calm cramps, recover from a ski accident knee injury without surgery, and build better core strength than I’ve ever had. It’s also my go-to every time I knock my spine out of alignment, which may not be the preference for some people but works really well for those of us with super high medical anxiety.
Heart Work Inspiration:
Libro.fm has great genre-specific book lists. One quick search on the biography/memoir list and I not only added 10+ deliciously inspirational new nonfiction titles to my Libro Wish List, I also found a beautiful book called The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor by Eddie Jaku. I started it right away, and let me tell you, it’s just the kick in the pants I need in my life right now. (& the author had just reached his 100th birthday when he decided to write this book, so that’s inspirational enough in and of itself, hey?)
You might be reading this long after you have your New Year intentions all figured out, after you’ve landed on how to achieve those intentions, or already bought new, fancy tools, apps, equipment, or help from experts. If so, I say go for it! Take what you want from this message and leave the rest. Use those tools as much as you can and love them as much as your little heart desires. You’ve got this.
But if you’re someone who’s just now setting some new intentions or doesn’t know where to start this time around, I hope this message inspires you to find the things that are really, truly, authentically you and find your own way to stick with what works for you and leave the rest for another time (or another person altogether).
It’s a windy single-digit-Fahrenheit day here today, so I’m off to grab an extra coffee and join a dance party.
Happy New Year!
💛
Celeste
did AI write this? nope, this lady did ⤴ always💛