You Need Vitamin E!
This may sound like another nutritional informational tidbit but in this case the E stands for enjoyment. Vitamins are what we call catalysts-they help nutritional actions to happen in our bodies. They are not the big ingredients such as water or proteins, but they help us to use these ingredients to meet our body’s needs.
So, stay with me here… if we can stretch our thinking to applying this concept to physical activity, it can be hard sometimes and we are just not motivated or in the mood. Even though we may know all the benefits for bodies, minds, and spirit—it is too hard or complicated.
This is because we feel one size fits all. We are told this or that is the best exercise and feel we are not compelled to it so why try? For a long time, running or dance aerobics were the only games in town and frankly a lot of people are not meant to be runners or to do grapevines (a dance step). But they would be out there torturing and frustrating themselves. And then they would give up and think physical activity was “camp no fun” and not for them.
Now flash to some years later and we have so many choices for our physical activity. Doing activity in a chair is amazing! It does not take a lot of equipment or a big skill level and you can reap the benefits instantly. Have motivating and knowledgeable instructors, a great community of similar minded movement enthusiasts and an attitude of enjoying moving your body are all part of the plan! Still not quite convinced or trying to get a friend to try out our classes?
The missing ingredient may just be a slight attitude adjustment. You might have grown up thinking of exercise as a workout with emphasis on the word work, a chore, or the dreaded gym class where you felt stupid. But consider that we are ALL designed to move! Slightly tweaking your perspective from doing something in a chair is not your first choice or thinking “it’s not really exercise” ….to being be open to feeling grateful that you can move and have this opportunity. And then look for how do you feel after and how being even slightly more active affects the quality of the rest of your day. Be on the lookout for these rewards for example: sleeping better, having more energy to spend time with your grandchildren, or not being so exhausted after going out on an errand. Vitamin E asks you to consider how can it be more enjoyable for you? Getting to know and support your fellow participants, suggesting a playlist to the instructor, be less about doing it all and more being in the moment of …. enjoying moving!
Cheers and here is to the joy of movement! Set your intention to soak in every enjoyable moment and keep coming back!
Be well
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