Work and Life Balance: Exercise... and Rest

Warm hellos!

I hope your world is unfolding positively... as is mine.

At the beginning of January, as a means to inspire and map my exercise progress, I put a calendar up on my office wall where I now mark in all my physical activities. So far this month, I have seriously exercised 19 times... by attending the Curves Club for circuit training, strenuous yoga and dance classes, and gone for long power walks.

Sure, I probably could have increased my frequency, but I feel pleased with my exercise commitment.

I am reminded again about how good yoga is for me! After suffering a torn rotator cuff for over a year, I'd discontinued all formal yoga classes until I healed. Now two weeks into a new yoga season, I'm being selective about the poses and being careful with others, so as not to re-injure myself.

Already an "elastic band," I can feel my body getting stronger and even more flexible, too. By summer, I expect I'll have sculpted muscles again and be stronger in the core of my body... ready to wear my summer clothing confidently.

How are you doing with your New Year fitness commitment?

Remember, bodies are meant to move... otherwise, they atrophy... along with our sense of self image and confidence, too!

AND, just as important as fitness is to our health, so is REST! Julia Cameron (author of the wonderful book entitled, "The Artist's Way") offers the following quotation...

"So often we try to gird ourselves to face a harsh and difficult world when we might instead gentle both ourselves and our world just by slowing down. We could take a cue from music here: 'Rest' is musical term for a pause between flurries of notes. Without that tiny pause, the torrent of notes can be overwhelming. Without a rest in our lives, the torrent of our lives can be the same."