Be honest. Are you working out as much as you should? Unless you work on a farm or a construction site, your life is modern-day America is probably pretty sedentary. How many hours each day do you spend sitting in the car, or in front of the computer, or (yikes!) in front of the television? Maybe your New Year's resolution was to move more.
Lately, I'm getting 2-3 hours of focused workout in everyday. It probably sounds a bit extreme, but I've had a lot of anxiety and diving into exercise is better than devolving into panic attacks. If you ever lay in bed with your mind racing, unable to sleep because of thoughts that stalk you, or toss and turn waking up every few hours with those same dark wings hovering overhead, then you can relate to the anxiety problem.
Intense and prolonged exercise sessions never fail to beat back the dark monsters. Yesterday, for example, I hiked the hills for almost two hours and spend another hour and a half on the stationary bike. After dinner, my body craved more movement. I planned to jump back on the bike, but Wonder Girl roped me into a game. The next thing I knew, we'd danced for almost 2 hours.
We danced and sang to the soundtracks from DreamGirls and O Brother Where Art Thou?. We took it mellow with a little Bob Marley, then cranked it back up with some salsa and merengue. I tried to teach her to dance la punta (a favorite of mine from Honduras), but she was not to be constricted, putting her own choreography over any prescribed steps.
It was the best I've felt in weeks. So, I challenge you, even implore you, to dance today. Do it right now! Put on some music, get up and move. Be silly, have fun, and enjoy your body's ability to do what it was meant to do. Dance!
Lately, I'm getting 2-3 hours of focused workout in everyday. It probably sounds a bit extreme, but I've had a lot of anxiety and diving into exercise is better than devolving into panic attacks. If you ever lay in bed with your mind racing, unable to sleep because of thoughts that stalk you, or toss and turn waking up every few hours with those same dark wings hovering overhead, then you can relate to the anxiety problem.
Intense and prolonged exercise sessions never fail to beat back the dark monsters. Yesterday, for example, I hiked the hills for almost two hours and spend another hour and a half on the stationary bike. After dinner, my body craved more movement. I planned to jump back on the bike, but Wonder Girl roped me into a game. The next thing I knew, we'd danced for almost 2 hours.
We danced and sang to the soundtracks from DreamGirls and O Brother Where Art Thou?. We took it mellow with a little Bob Marley, then cranked it back up with some salsa and merengue. I tried to teach her to dance la punta (a favorite of mine from Honduras), but she was not to be constricted, putting her own choreography over any prescribed steps.
It was the best I've felt in weeks. So, I challenge you, even implore you, to dance today. Do it right now! Put on some music, get up and move. Be silly, have fun, and enjoy your body's ability to do what it was meant to do. Dance!
4 comments:
I accept your challenge! :) It is chilly here and I just want to crawl back into bed, I think I will dance instead. My children will think I have lost my mind! LOL!
*Connie
I love it! Don't be surprised if they join you!
Yupp! It was Aldous Huxley's wife who said 'a dance a day keeps the shrink away' and there was a time when I did the gym daily and jazz balett but...now everything hurts and my muscles forgot what they were meant to do. Once I've walked for a few minutes it is better (arthritis) but I'm not really great on pain to push through it so I just sit - in the chair or in bed and yes, tell me about those dark wings. :(
Isadora - I'll keep you in my prayers for relief from your pain and the fortitude to get up from the chair or the bed. If you can't enjoy the dance, just enjoy the music!
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