Movin' and Groovin'

Hello again!  I'm so happy to "be" with you. You may not be keeping track, but I "missed" a week of posting. This time of year gets so darn busy and full and I succumbed to the busyness of it all. I hope you are feeling complete and satisfied and not stuffed and uncomfortable. Sometimes life is a lot like a big, holiday dinner. It's easy to overdo. 

As I said, I've been immersed in some of the season's activities. I had some uncommitted time and decided to fill it with a road trip and visits to friends and family up and down the east coast. I got a new car and put about 2,000 miles on it over the last couple of weeks. As some of you know, I started making cross-country drives from Boston to southern Oregon and back about 15 years ago, so a road trip is right up my alley. One thing I noticed on my first loooong drive was how much I was simply sitting every day. I'm an active person and especially as I age, I pay close attention to how much I'm walking vs when I'm being sedentary for a while. It makes a huge difference in how I feel if I don't get to move around much. Since I have a lot of time to think on my drives, I started to mull over the idea of movement and activity and the big picture. 

As humans, we are built to move. Our musculoskeletal (bones, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and muscles) system is an intricate design meant to literally carry us through life. It needs care and maintenance and if we don't use it, it starts to lose its ability to function well. The beauty of our bodies is that with a little effort and by paying attention, we can stay mobile. If a part of our structure takes a hit, we can work on strengthening other parts in our foundation. I remember having knee pain in my early twenties. I had played a lot of sports and took dance classes from grades K through 12. When I went to college and wasn't dancing and running around a gym or field anymore, I lost some of the support in my legs. I am so grateful to the doctor who gave me some exercises to build up that infrastructure and get me back on the path again. He could have easily given me pain medication or said there was nothing to be done as it was a sign of wear and tear. I believe and I have experienced that our bodies are fascinating works of art and function with an amazing capacity to heal. 

Not so many years ago, women who gave birth by c-section were kept in bed for at least two weeks. Now, as a post partum RN, I am getting women up and walking within 6 hours of delivery and encouraging them to walk more than not. Many other surgeries for multiple conditions also promote ambulation as soon as possible. There are many reasons for this including lessening the risk for blood clots, keeping muscles engaged, and also the psychological effect. Not being able to move can be depressing.

If we look around us, everything does better when it moves. Any water that becomes stagnant lacks oxygen and vitality. Harmful bacteria starts to grow, mold and mildew can form and release harmful spores, and in general, it becomes unhealthy. 

How often have you commented or heard someone say, "What a nice breeze!"? We feel better and the air is fresher when it's moving. If there were no wind, temperatures would rise dangerously high, pollination and the natural spreading of seeds would cease, pollution would stay and worsen, rainfall would end and conditions would not be compatible with life in general. 

Not to be morbid, but utter stillness equals death. Even when I am sitting quietly meditating, there is still movement inside me and all around me. My heart is beating, my breath is moving in and out, my blood is flowing, and my brain is noticing my thoughts as billions of neurons are firing electrical signals. Around me the air is shifting in subtle ways, the weather is evolving outside making trees and plants sway, birds are flying around, and the world is spinning. Movement equals life and creation. 

There are changes that occur in our bodies as we age, however it's not a sign that we have to stop. Some people think we are supposed to slow down and restrict ourselves as we get older. We start to impose limits on what we think we can or cannot do. If we do not invest the time and effort in keeping our mobility, everything else - our thinking, our memory, our ability to interact - will diminish, too. There are days when I feel a little low and it might be a day I have a session with my trainer at the gym. It might be the last thing I want to do and every time I go anyway, I feel soooooo much better. 

Find ways to move. Make it a game. How far from the door to the grocery store can you park? Can you actually walk somewhere nearby instead of driving? How about trying one or two flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator and then go for three or four. Grab a friend and take a dance class or go for a hike -- challenge each other. Don't give in to inertia. Be a follower of Isaac Newton's first law: A body in motion stays in motion. Keep movin' and groovin'.

Sending Sparkles and Love Your Way!