so, i've been feeling really lost these past few weeks as you may have been able to tell by the significant lack of updates through the MOVEment facebook page. lost and humbled. lost in my direction and humbled by the fact that i gave up on my own challenge at 70 days. this is discouraging. i have done this challenge before....i should be able to complete it now.
maybe should is the wrong word. a dear friend of mine often reminds me that "people 'should' on themselves too often. it isn't good for you".
i have a million excuses, as we all do. this year has put a lot of pressures on me as i finish up my degree at the university of victoria. i am disappointed that i let everything get the best of me and my reaction was to hide out for a few weeks. i just stopped participating.
but today i came across this photo:
and i had to laugh because i thought "are you speaking to me?!"
so the only logical thing to do is to start again.
and that is not a bad thing. in fact i may be starting and participating in this challenge for the rest of my life! i hope i am. and i hope you are.
MOVEment has become an incredible community and the support and encouragement i have received from people to continue has been overwhelming. the stories i hear about how physical activity has changed peoples lives are what motivates me most of all. thank you for being a part of my journey and thank you for letting me be a part of yours.
today i feel more inspired than i have in weeks. what lessons will i learn this time? who will i connect with? what adventures and opportunities will present themselves to me? i will never know unless i continue.
last sunday came with a twist in my plans, a change in the route i thought my life was going to take, and consequently i spent the day dealing with this change. and i forgot about MOVEment.
now where do i go from here?
i completed 70 consecutive days of MOVEment.
do i start from day one again? do i continue from where i am?
i didn't want to be in this position...
a new year usually means time to reflect on the past and look into the future. where have you been this year? what have you accomplished? where do you see yourself going?
i just wrote a sentence about how there were many goals i had set for 2011 that i did not accomplish....and then i deleted the sentence. what am i really trying to say? what do i want to share right now?
BALANCE is my word of the moment.
i believe we need to look into the past to learn from our mistakes and successes, as well as explore our future possibilities and plans. but i believe this needs to be in balance with discovering the present MOMENT. this moment. right now.
what are you feeling? take a moment and pay attention to each sense: sight, touch, taste, sound, smell...maybe write it down...or just reflect.
that is something i love about running trail. it forces me to connect with the present moment in a way that i often find challenging to do. running trail forces me to combine my breath, mind, and muscles and to pay attention to every sensation around me. i am acutely aware of the position of my body, the weight distribution over the joints of my feet, the feeling of the air as it flows around me... i am blissfully unaware of the dishes waiting to be washed in my sink, the next approaching assignment due date, or that i am out of milk. i am living completely in the moment. and in this i find a place to meditate. it seems like a funny combination: to be acutely aware of everything around you, but to also feel like you are meditating. running trail reminds me to enjoy the journey as much as i enjoy the destination.
this moment is what we really have. our past has brought us here and our future will carry us to where we need to go, but what we have now is this moment. future goals (or call them new years resolutions) are extremely important (we all know how i love goal setting) but the path we take to achieve those goals is just as important. so choose something this year that gives you a path you will enjoy. create a goal with a journey that is just as appealing as the end destination.
and lets see where that takes you...
25.12.11: day 55
boot camp style workout with my brother! we got some strange looks as we utilized the local playground to complete sets of squats, rows, jumps, pushups, core exercises, lunges, and running in the middle of the afternoon on christmas day. it was so worth it :)
26.12..11: day 56
a waterfront walk with the family. 45min.
27.12.11: day 57
core exercises at hm. evening walk 30min.
28.12.11: day 58
walk dallas rd to ogden point breakwater and back. rainy. time well spent with a friend.
29.12.11: day 59
run/walk 2 hrs! feeling good. need to do more stretching...
30.12.11: day 60
35 min cardio on spin bike; full body strength training. i love how my body feels when i lift weights! why do i ever stop?
31.12.11: day 61
walking 30min.
01.01.12: day 62
walking much of the day!
02.01.12: day 63
walking 30 min. very low key today.
