Don’t Give Up. You deserve to feel Great!
In order to find your full potential, you do have to work at it.
As I write this I am approaching my 64th birthday and Gerry turned 68 in November. He has been a natural sportsman all his life and is very disciplined and in touch with his body. I have had my fitness bursts off and on throughout my life. I am not as disciplined and it does not come as easy for me. We are not perfect and we are not so young anymore. But we are passionate about getting the most out of our lives. That means we are prepared to put effort into all aspects of our life, to maintain our health, fitness and wellbeing way into our later years.
So we can talk to you from both sides of the fence so to speak. And for many of you, this will be a challenging process. Your body will hurt in new places or complain in the old places. Your ego will constantly tell you that it is not worth it. “It’s ok to be overweight, it won’t kill me”. Sorry, but ultimately it will! “I’ll rest today and have another go tomorrow”. We all know that it’s a cop-out and tomorrow will be the same excuses. “I am sore after I do that, it can’t be good for me.” When we stretch parts of our body that we have not stretched in a while, we will feel it! What we have to learn is how much is too much. You are in the class and you can see what Gerry or I am doing in our pose so you try to extend to that place. As we often tell you, that may be too far. Listen to your body, take it gently at the start and when you do feel the tweaks and twinges from your body, check-in and ask “Is this too much, do I need to back off?” or “I am feeling this muscle group really engaging and it feels ok.” Be flexible with your sTREss Away practice. Sometimes it flows beautifully and other days we just don’t seem to find it so easy. And that is fine.
If you are sore afterwards, that is often a good thing. You have strengthened the muscles and they are telling you! In a day or two that will subside and you will have gained a little more strength and flexibility which you can build on in the next class. If you feel fatigued, just check in with that. Are you fatigued or is this a state of relaxation you are unfamiliar with?
If you are practising sTREss Away and you have a pre-existing injury, make sure you tell us about it when you are enrolling in the class. If that gets sorer in class, tell us about it before the next class. Check-in with yourself – which pose did I feel it most in? This is your journey of discovery, so explore and be fascinated with your amazing body. Gerry has had a hip replacement and I have had knee surgery. We know that rehab can sometimes be slow and you feel like you are not progressing. Talk to us! We are here to help you find your path to wellness and happiness. Your success is our success.
Rome was not built in a day! Practice, practice, practice! What starts out being a chore becomes a process you look forward to it because sooner or later you start to feel better.
So don’t give up. Talk to us, back off with your practice a little but don’t stop. And look at your habits. What are you eating, drinking, taking or smoking? Is it helping you get back to health? We are not Health Nazis and love to indulge in the things we enjoy but in moderation! How far do you walk each day? How many times do you take a few seconds to feel grateful for what you have in your life? How much of your mind is listening to your positive speak? Every positive is a step in the right direction. Sometimes it might be small steps and other times you may feel ready to fly.
Persistence is the key and trying not to judge your self as you inch closer to Living your Dream.
We are ordinary people who have had an extraordinary journey. So we know what’s possible. We know you deserve to feel great and we are here to support you in your endeavour.
