In this fourth entry in the blog series, I’ll share the big goal that pushed my mental and physical limits beyond anything I could’ve imagined.
I started 2020 with no exercise routine and limited awareness of my inner thoughts and how those impact my mental health. Through my moving meditations, I was building a greater awareness of the common loops my mind liked to wander and where these loops led, if not interrupted. I recognized areas in these loops where I could challenge an assumption or belief to send my mind down a fresh path to explore, but I wasn’t always good at interrupting these thoughts. One of these thoughts circled around my physical health and well-being.
I have never seen myself as a thin girl. When I was younger, I danced ballet and was always one of the bigger girls in the class. I don’t recall being bothered by this, just observing that I was thicker in the hips than the other girls. As I’ve grown into adulthood, I’ve had my own struggles with weight and trying to figure out what a healthy relationship with food looks like. I won’t pretend that I’ve found peace on that front. But what I have learned to focus on in this journey was to focus on what I could control. I decided I was going to be more physically active, much more active.
As I noted, before moving meditations, I didn’t have any form of a physical exercise routine. My moving meditations were leaving me winded. As I neared my 40th birthday, I realized that if I ever want to be physically healthier; I needed to take action. My goal was to complete a marathon by 45. I took everything that I had been learning about moving meditations and my mental health loops and applied this to my goal of moving more and for longer distances.
Prior to setting this goal, I had completed one 5k event. Several years ago, a friend and I walked a 5k fun run. I hadn’t trained at all for the event and it didn’t inspire me to continue walking or running. I set this big goal around fall 2020 and I’m not a fan of the cold, so I found a 5k series in my area and signed up for 5 events in 2021. I now had a date of my first 5k that I was training for.
If you’ve been following along with this blog series, last time you worked on identifying one small step that could move you closer toward a big goal in your life. Did you accept the challenge and start something small to benefit you and your well-being?
If you did, how did it go? Were you surprised by your response? Was it easier/harder than you expected? Did you enjoy this challenge? What might you try next to take another step toward this big goal?
If you weren’t able to challenge yourself by taking that first step, that’s okay. But I would encourage you to examine this choice. Really reflect what’s stopping you from taking some small action towards a larger goal? What might happen if you try something different to move you closer to your goals? Are there any beliefs that you hold about your abilities to try something new? Are you afraid or worried about trying to achieve your goals? Does this goal align with your other goals for your life?
When we try something new, it can be scary. We like routine because it’s safe and comfortable. But we need to push against that comfort zone from time to time to learn and grow, otherwise that comfort zone can feel restrictive. What will you do to expand your comfort zone over the next couple of days?
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