Learn to work with your body.
The big picture from the Symmetry newsletter - LV’s Midweek Memo:
What’s the big deal?
You get one body, and it’s AMAZING.
Learn about it and to work with it to live a healthier, longer life.
The more you understand, the more you can make small decisions throughout your day that will have big impacts on your life.
After all, your life is made up of small moments and choices that make up our days, that turn into weeks, months, and years - ultimately defining who we are and our lives.
Keep reading to dig deeper! (A ~2 - 2 ½ minute read.)
We talk a lot about breathing at Symmetry.
But why? What’s the big deal?
Proper breathing can change your life. Yes, in a cheesy, woo-woo way (which I’m all for!!), but also in a very practical, health and fitness focused way (which I’m equally for!!).
If you learn to work with your breath, you can put yourself back in the driver’s seat. In control. Consciously make decisions - big and small - that will either put you on the path you want to be on, or take you way off course.
Side note: Sometimes a detour is just what we need, but life throws enough curveballs at us. Wouldn’t you rather be the one making the decisions instead of your off-the-cuff reactions running the show?
Once I was able to understand more about my nervous system and pay attention to the signals my body was sending me, I was better able to recognize behaviors and patterns and stories that I have been telling myself for a long time (that I may not even have been aware of) and that certainly weren’t serving me.
From there I could start, little by little, and after a lot of practice, making small changes that have led to shifts in how I live on a day to day basis.
Example:
A few weeks ago we got away for a quick vacation to the mountains, one of our favorite places.
After getting a small 🍑 kicking by the altitude, in my third trimester with baby #2, after a long travel day by noon, not to mention our 2 year old being a 2 year old 😂 … (I say this not to elicit any type of “oh boo-hoo for you”, but for context… I was tired to say the least!) Anyway! I made the conscious decision to NOT work while our beloved, tiny tyrant was (finally) napping.
Instead, without feeling the guilt of being unproductive that has plagued me for the majority of my adult (and let’s face it, adolescent) life, I chose to plop myself on the couch for a much needed NSDR (non-sleep deep rest… aka Yoga Nidra) session, and it made all the difference.
After all, without rest, there is no growth, and you’ll eventually run yourself ragged, leading to illness, injury, chronic stress, etc.
As we say at Symmetry, Stress + Rest = Growth
Cool cool cool… what’s the point?
I was able to recognize that, despite what my engrained patterns wanted me to do:
Take advantage of every possible spare moment to be “productive” in order to be “successful”.
What my body needed from me in that moment was:
REST.
Conscious of this, and the consequences ultimately if I didn’t take that time to rest:
Increased moodiness = likely me snapping at my husband when he got back from his bike ride and feeling ashamed of it later
Increased pain/achiness
Decreased immune function
Decreased resilience
Increased appetite inconsistent with physical exertion
The list goes on…
I was able to make a different choice for myself in the moment. A choice that:
Allowed me to be a more patient mother and partner
Gave my body a little bit of recovery so that I could continue to enjoy the activities that we had planned (like the big hike we did the next day)
Provided a much needed pause and reset on my day
What choices that you make throughout the day have you noticed that either set you up for success or don’t? Are you consciously making these decisions? Have you ever thought about it? Pay attention this week and let me know what you discover!
