I feel like something comes across my radar related to healthy practices on a daily basis. Likely sources of information include my daily meditation, an online review of the New York Times, email links to wellness organizations, etc. Other messages may come from yoga practices, cooking magazines, or trips to the gym. The messages typically involve some aspect of self-awareness, and often the focus is on being more mindful about what I’m doing as I’m doing it. So, pausing to ask myself, “Am I really hungry or am I eating out of habit,” is a typical reminder message. Inspirational messages about the value of exercising are another main source of the daily information flow. And thrown in the mix are a whole host of messages that promise quick fixes and “you owe it to yourself to indulge” in whatever is the flavor of the month. Pretty hard to sort all of this out and land in a space that is well-informed, balanced and manageable.
I am beginning to pay more attention to the origins of the messages I’m getting with a goal of determining whether the message or impulse has its origin in my ego or in my “true self” as the wisdom teachings like to refer to our “best selves.” As I understand the difference between “ego” and “true self,” the “ego” is more concerned about winning and competing while the “true self” is focused on the values I want to live by. The “ego” seems to serve us best in earlier stages of our lives as we’re moving into adulthood and pursuing our career paths while building familial partnerships and financial stability. As our self-appointed protector, the “ego” can run amok if left unchecked. Its competitive nature is constantly informing us of how we compare with others and our with idealized selves, all of which easily leads to planting and nourishing seeds of envy, anger, hurt feelings, etc. Not mention that the comparisons create an opening for the Greek chorus of negative comments about one self!

I find it odd that with all of the educational experiences available to us as we grow into adulthood there is very little information about how we develop emotionally, psychology, and spiritually. The information is out there as I’m finding as I get older, but it seems like the journey is more internal than external and often it is a solo experience unless one is fortunate enough to find spiritual partners along the way. Based on my personal experience, I don’t think organized religion is the answer either unless one is willing to consider Buddhism as an organized religion.

The stillness I associate with meditating that allows me for the most part to shut out the bombardment of the competing messages is a very practical resource for sifting and sorting the messages and impulses. Meditation helps me “frame” my outlook for the day…and it’s a great way to start the morning! Recently after spending some quiet time allowing for the more important concerns or messages to surface I zeroed in on a recent New York Times article indicating that more than 40% of adults in our country are obese. Let me be clear I’m not sharing this statement out of any malicious or harmful intent as I, too, am not one of those very fortunate people who never have to worry about keeping their weight in check. If you are one of those fortunate folks, please make note of your blessing in your gratitude journal.
How did we make our way to this state of being in this country when we have the means to eat a more nutritional diet? There are probably many contributing factors: Lack of exercise, stress, eating convenience foods that are less healthy, etc.

Everything I read consistently points out how being overweight can compromise our health, leading to diabetes, heart disease, undue stress on our weight-bearing joints, etc. So the article reminded me – even encouraged me – to pay close attention to healthy practices in my life. If we want to continue to evolve and enjoy our lives as we age, we’re certainly in a better position to do that if our health is good.

One healthy practice that I know has been consistently good for me is to exercise regularly. I’ve learned several things over the years about exercising. First it’s much easier to exercise if you DON’T HATE what you’re doing. It took me some time – probably longer than it should have – to realize this simple lesson. Just because your friends tell you they love their Pilates class and you should try it, that doesn’t mean that you will necessarily like it. Furthermore, if your ego is prompting self-talk that suggests you’re a wimp because you don’t like Pilates, let that message register and make a decision to let it go.

On the other hand, I have learned that sometimes it can take longer than I expected to “be good” at something I’m doing or at least to show progress. For example, when I was in my late 20s, I decided to take up running. I’m not sure why I chose that activity, but it seemed like something I might be able to do. I also liked it because it didn’t involve a lot of equipment other than really good shoes, and I could do it most anywhere without having to schedule it and/or find a partner.
It took me a very long time – almost 3 months before I could run a mile – to actually figure out how to make this exercise fit with me. The trick was learning how to breathe, and I can still remember that once I let go of trying to regulate the in-breath and focused instead on the out-breath, the in-breath took care of itself. Focusing on the in-breath has always been a challenge for me; if I pay too much attention to it I screw it up instead of letting it regulate itself.

So I was off and running – if you’ll excuse the pun – once I mastered the important breathing component. And I ran multiple miles a day for more than 15 years. But here’s another lesson I learned that has served me well in other physical activities. Every day is not the same; some days it feels effortless to exercise, and on other days, EVERY STEP TAKES WORK. Once I wrapped my head around the reality that my experience would vary from day to day, I could more easily settle into the challenging days and figure out how to work my way through those spaces.
Walking is now a major part of my exercise routine. I knew it was time to back off of running when I could start to feel pain in my stress-bearing joints, and that realization coupled with research on the damage that running can cause to your body was enough for me to let it go. Not unlike running, some days walking to me feels effortless, I just keep moving along. Other days, I’m more aware of stiffness or some undefined ache as I start out. So, I’ve learned to ease up a bit on those days, and borrowing from my yoga practice, I concentrate on breathing into those less than cooperative parts of my body. I also focus on something other than the discomfort. Most often, once I’m ten or fifteen minutes into my walk, I’m able to relax and enjoy it.
A good friend of mine is an excellent cyclist; her physical and mental resources allow her to just keep pedaling. I, on the other hand, have limited conditions in which I can enjoy this form of exercise. I’ve learned that I can enjoy bicycling if I’m on a level, uncrowded paved bike path. With these conditions in place, I’m good for biking 15 or 20 miles.

But these restrictions are hard to come by where I live. I’ve tried bicycling on roads, but I can say without a doubt THAT I ABSOLUTELY HATE THE EXPERIENCE. There’s nothing I enjoy about it; the closeness of cars to me when I’m on my bike raises my anxiety level to the point where I’m so focused on my safety that I’m not able to enjoy anything about the experience.
So the message of this blog is to share my experience that committing to regular exercise is important for our health, but that commitment is much more likely to be sustained when one’s preferences are well matched with an activity that allows you to enjoy it most of the time. One final word, drown out any of the “critical voices” that like to shame. I’m not a wimp because I strongly dislike bicycling in traffic – I’m just exercising good judgment in taking care of myself.