Exercise is not for everyone. Do you agree? Not everyone likes it. Why do you think that is? The structure of the human body was made to move; leap, skip, jump, walk, run, balance, bend, arch and stretch. Do you do any of these on a daily basis?
As many as 50 million Americans (35-45 % of the population) are living sedentary lives, putting them at an increased risk of health problems. (American Psychological Association)
On the other hand there are those that seek exercise for a thinner body or a sense of control or accomplishment, instead of seeking it out to create a healthy lifestyle and gaining pleasure from it. For some of these individuals, exercise can be addictive and taken to the extreme. Which is very similar to the way extreme dieting leads to eating disorders, in extreme cases it is an activity disorder.
Over-exercising or punishing exercise are as detrimental to the health as a sedentary lifestyle. The former causes the body to operate in a sympathetic stressed state the majority of the time. Which as you know from my previous articles on stress, this is damaging to the digestive system, the musculoskeletal system, the cellular system, and muscle to fat ration.
Here are a few “sure signs” that you are over-exercising or participating in punishing exercise.
- Obsessive concerns with body weight and body fat
- Excessive, purposeless physical activity that goes beyond your normal training regimen
- Punishing exercise – meaning you have to work-out because you ate “too much” or in your mind you haven’t done enough activity to deserve relaxing.
- Uncomfortable with rest or relaxation
- Dependent on exercise to balance mood
- Rationalize activity level to protect involvement in said activity
- Exercise no matter what…even if experiencing physical exhaustion
All of these cause the body to reside in the Sympathetic Stress Mode, which kills the body’s ability to build muscle and protect bones. If you are going to spend all those hours exercising, don’t you want to build lean tissue and maintain good bone health?
Where do we find the balance in our exercise regimen or what I call movement for the soul? It comes from with-in. Only you know what form of movement will be nourishing for you. Experiment. Don’t settle for something that doesn’t bring joy, excitement or energy to every fiber of your being. It must be an activity that you look forward to and that nourishes you for your life purpose.
Moving for your Life Purpose takes the pressure off. Now you can move with the soul intent to gain a healthy body and soul. Healthy movement is so vital for the soul (mind/heart/emotions). When time is set aside for movement that is nourishing, the soul comes to life; a balance is reached. And when the soul is nourished, you are unstoppable.
The 1 thing to remember is to MOVE. Don’t live a sedentary life, the body was built for movement. The 2nd thing to remember is to move for the soul….with the sole purpose to nourish, strengthen, calm and restore your health.
After many years of searching for someone to really understand me I was blessed with meeting Ashly. She saw something in me that I had many times try to tell people and they just did not see, I am basically shy. Words cannot adequately express what it meant to me when Ashly agreed with me and acknowledged what for so many years I was longing for. She shows acceptance, gives validation, direction and love in her sessions and has the gift of seeing the core of me. I am now on the road to real healing and honestly feel that without Ashly I would have kept searching with no success. Thank you so much for your beautiful soul and understanding and acceptance which in turn helps me to accept myself. You are a precious gift..Suzy