Listen to what your body has to say

So, let's say for a second that you are sold on wanting to add more movement into your life, to start eating clean, and to communicate better with others. What are your road blocks? Besides yourself, your biggest road block will be people that you are close to who don't want to change. Remember, you have to be the one to stand up for how you want to live. You cannot live in someone else's shadow or let someone else dictate what you do with your life.  Just remember: if you are confident in your change to better yourself, it will be infectious. So, my challenge to you is to open up to someone about a recent health change. For example: you decided to start parking as far away as possible when you go shopping. So, when you are riding in someone else's car share this new change with them and see if they are willing to try it.

Our bodies are meant to move. Unfortunately, we are conditioned to think that comfort triumphs movement. By this I mean, people think it's better for your body to be comfortable than for it to be moving. So, we try everything to avoid moving. This, in turn, makes what we do to our bodies a sort of slow death. But, let's look at a different culture for a moment. The Tarahumara in Mexico, as described by Christopher McDougall in the book Born to Run, are a people who progress physically as they age rather than declining physically. In fact, their elderly members are actually faster runners than their young adults. But, why? Because they never stop moving or running. So, let's try to avoid being more comfortable and start moving more. My challenge for you this week is to try and move more than you ever have before. Try to park as far away from the grocery store as you can. Try to not use a car when you could walk or run to your destination.  See if the experience doesn't ...

Have you ever had food poisoning? One meal that made you deathly ill, where you would rather do anything than feel that way? It seems that it is only through extreme reactions that we realize how much something can affect us. Now, imagine if there were one thing that could have the exact opposite effect:  an extreme sense of euphoria. That feeling could be achieved rather simply, but it requires us to step outside of our comfort zones. The more uncomfortable you are on a regular basis, the more you can appreciate true comfort. I know this seems almost backwards, but recall how good you felt after you recovered from food poisoning. You probably felt like a whole new person. That intense awareness of health only came from being juxtaposed with the former feeling of misery. So, my challenge to you this week is to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable. Then, savor the feeling of comfort afterward. - Being Uncomfortable with people, nature, and movement can be the st...

First, let me start by saying that movement feeds more movement. The more regular movement you are exposed to, the more your body will crave it and the more mobile your body will become. Do you ever get the urge to roll in the grass, climb up on something, or just sit in a squat? Our society has experienced a unique shift in what people think is unusual or weird due to the loss of movement in our culture. Imagine if you were to do some of the things I just mentioned. Would you get weird looks from people? Well, being willing to do the things that other people won't do is one of the reasons you will be able to do things that people can't do later in life. Have you been wanting to make a change in your life and become more active? Explore your G-d given right to move. Here is your chance: this week, in a public place, try crawling, climbing, or jumping. Take those weird looks as a compliment to you being able to do what most people can't, because they are unwilling to get fun...

When some think of wanting to be mobile at an older age or right now, most people believe that losing weight is the ultimate goal. They assume that with weight-loss, more mobility will naturally be achieved. Unfortunately, this isn't true. I know lots of people who are trim and still have very limited mobility. You are probably wondering, "Well if you look good, what does it matter how mobile you are?" You would be right, if we didn't need basic mobility to fully experience life. Everything from sitting on the ground to play with your kids to being able to open and close your hand once your older, is part of mobility and getting the most out of life. Mobility involves exploring movement and moving as often as possible. So, my challenge to you is to stand up and think of every joint in your body. Try going through a check-list and moving every single one at least once. If you do this regularly, you will keep from injury and could build lots of incredible movement patte...

Do you ever wonder how someone goes from being unable to do much athletically to becoming an incredible athlete? It doesn't just happen. They must learn movement patterns. Take something basic like crawling. If you do it properly, it will build movement patterns that influence other movements. If you are good at crawling, you will inevitably be good at climbing because they are very similar movements. There is always a way to scale-down or scale-up on any given exercise according to your skill-level. Just remember that any movement is better than no movement. My challenge to you this week is to find someone who is really good at a particular movement and try to learn from them. Remember: Who is wise? One who learns from all. - The Talmud