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Are you a Runner? Or just want to Run…?

November 9, 2011 By Kalia Leave a Comment

On the heels of running the Hana Relay this September, (The Hana Relay is a spectacular relay race, run along a 54 mile stretch of winding road, complete with waterfalls, scenic ocean and jungle views, valleys filled with ginger in full bloom, and surrounded by people dressed up, singing, and laughing – a LOT!), I got to thinking.  I used to run.  I used to love to run.  Correct that, I used to love the way I felt AFTER I had run.  Those endorphins can become an addiction, causing people to keep running, even though their doctors tell them that they MUST STOP!  It’s not unlike the heart attack patient who is told they must change their lifestyle, or they will die- Runners are told they will not be able to walk, and yet they keep running.

Okay, some of them keep running.

For me, it was after the birth of my first child that my running ended- or so I thought.  I experienced a debilitating back injury that kept me from doing much of anything, let alone running.  I could hardly walk, the pain was so bad.  Luckily, I had an amazing Physical Therapist who taught me how to bring myself back, first to normal, and then to a place where I felt even stronger and better in my body than I had felt before I had children.  This journey was part of what led me to the work I do now.  It’s an incredible thing to believe you are finished, that life will never hold the same level of activity and enjoyment for you, and then to go beyond that.

As much as I had recovered from back pain, I still didn’t think I would ever run more than a mile or so.  My comfort zone used to be in the 6-mile range, so it was quite a shock to not be able to go past that one mile mark.

But then, two years ago I was invited to run The Relay.  The Hana Relay had been elusive for me.  Interestingly enough, I connected my original back injury to 15 years earlier, training for the first Hana Relay I was going to run, I had been out in Hana, and was thrown off of a horse onto my hip.  Years later, this translated into my back pain- still having never run the relay.  I decided to go for it.  I was feeling strong again, had been a few years out of pain, and knew how to keep my core strong enough to maintain.

Ahhh, it felt good to run again- or rather, it felt good to be done after running again.  There was that feeling.  The rush of endorphins, the physical streamlining that only running brought to me.

So, this is my ode to running.  A man named Christopher McDougall has been studying how our bodies were meant to run.  The mechanics of how our bodies are meant to run.  It’s not just about ‘barefoot running’ but it’s a way of moving your body, and even a way of living a more fulfilling life.   He is articulate and has an interesting point of view.

 

Here is a link to the history of how we got so off course with our running – would you believe that our consumer society played a part?  Click here to go to the NY Times article

And here is a video connected to the article above that breaks down and shows how to re-train your body to run correctly- interestingly this comes from the 1800s – it’s called the 100-up. Click here to see the video

So, whether you feel like you were born to run, I invite you to explore your movement with a sense of playfulness, a sense of recognizing that our bodies were actually designed to move through space more than they were designed to sit at a desk or behind the wheel of a car.  I know, those things are sometimes a necessity in our lives, but the couch can wait, there is a whole big world out there, just waiting to be turned into a playground.  Have Fun!

Filed Under: Action, Curiosity, get in shape, How-to, Inspiration, wellness Tagged With: , ,

De-stress with Flighting

September 19, 2011 By Kalia Leave a Comment

Our bodies are incredible.

They adapt and adjust to what we give them… To a point.

Stress, when built up and chronic, leaves us tired, sick, and overweight.

The next time you feel stressed out- whether it’s from your own thoughts, or from what’s going on in your life, try this quick de-stressor.  Get your heart beating.

Grab a jump rope, find a flight of stairs and climb them,  hit the open road with your sneakers on, turn on your favorite song and dance.

Anything that makes your heart beat a little faster and makes you breath a little harder.  These are both great ways to use up those chemicals that your body produces in response to stress.  When they get used up- or metabolized- they are no longer available to go mess with other systems in your body.  The stress response can also be recognized as ‘fight or flight’, and since most of our life stressors do not require us to fight for our lives, use that ‘flight’ energy by getting your heart pumping, and your blood moving.  Five minutes can do the trick, but the real benefits come when you take the time to add at least 15 minutes or more.

Happy ‘flighting’

Filed Under: How-to, Monday Moment, Stress Tagged With: ,

It’s always with you, and yet…

August 15, 2011 By Kalia Leave a Comment

When was the last time you took a breath?

Not the quick, get-ready-for-the-next-thing kind of breath,

but the slow, deep inhale,

Your shoulders drop

Your belly softens

You feel yourself washed over with relief- an actual chemical shift within your body-

that slows your racing heart,

sweetens the corners of your mind,

and gently uncurls the petals of your heart.

That’s my kind of breath.

Try it for yourself now, just for a moment, feel as if there is no to-do list, no one needing anything from you, nowhere you need to get to.

For this one moment, it’s just you and your breath, dancing together.

Filed Under: Energy, How-to, Inspiration, Mind, Monday Moment, Stress, Well-being Tagged With: , , , ,

How your body whispers

August 8, 2011 By Kalia 1 Comment

We all get complacent.

We go along our way, pushing ourselves, doing more, taking care of business, when suddenly, bam, seemingly out of the blue, our body demands that we STOP!

7 days ago, maybe it was just a hint of being tired, the faintest fogginess in the brain.

3 days ago, perhaps we woke up with a kink in our back, the pep in our step nowhere to be found.

We pushed through those signals, convinced that if we could just get through the next week, the next to-do list, the next mountain of paper or laundry or dishes…

But no, our body screams to us. When we didn’t listen to the whisper 7 days ago, or the yell 3 days ago, our body decided to get out the bullhorn and make sure we stop and listen.  Your screaming body may have symptoms all it’s own, but sometimes it’s a cold or a flu, perhaps a crippling headache or an impossible kink in your back or neck.

You know your bodies’ scream, we all do.

We just need to learn a little more about the way it whispers, or even how it yells.

My body whispers with a pinch between my shoulder blades, a slight tightness in my neck.  I also notice it gets harder to sleep at night, and I burp more, (sorry, TMI – my digestion has a voice too ; )

I’m certainly still learning this one.  When I feel healthy, I feel invincible, and when somethings not right, when my body is screaming at me, the only thing I can think about is how much I want to feel better.  “I’ll never take my health for granted” I think to myself… and then I feel better, the memory of my screaming body slowly fades.

“One who has health has a thousand wishes, one who does not, has but ONE ” ~ Anonymous

Do you know your bodies’ whisper?  I would love to know what it is- Will you share it below?

Make a list, right now, of how your body tells your things are OFF, that you need to tweak your habits, small choice by small choice.

And then notice when those things come up for you.

Listen to your body.  Sounds simple, but it sure isn’t always easy!

Filed Under: Action, Energy, health, How-to, Learning, Stress, wellness Tagged With: , ,

Can’t get no satisfaction

July 25, 2011 By Kalia 3 Comments

Planning birthday parties for my kids can turn me into a lunatic.   Sometimes,  I get so bound up, worrying about doing it right, for the kids, for the friends, for everything and everyone.  I start to think there is some “perfect” birthday party, and that I had better deliver it.  Talk about putting myself through misery.  It got me thinking about making comparisons with how other moms do it all.  It used to be that I tortured myself constantly about not ‘doing it’ right.  I’m getting better , but sometimes those big moments- like birthdays- bring it all, fresh, to the surface.

There are a million moments in every day that you could compare yourself to someone else.  Usually the comparison ends up shining a glaring light on how wrong you are doing it, and how everyone you meet has the solution.

Notice this happening.  See that feeling.  Allow that feeling to be there, without you giving or taking anything from it.  Don’t avoid it.  Don’t distract yourself from it with media, food or busy-ness.  Don’t argue with it.

Just sit with it, and breath into it.  Allow your breath to breathe you.  Float yourself into the moment with no agenda.  No expectation.  Discover that place.

Am I the only one who ever does this, or do you sometimes compare yourself with others?  I’d love to know if you have tried mindfulness to work with it- or if you have other strategies you use, please post them below.

Filed Under: Curiosity, Inspiration, Learning, Mind, Stress Tagged With: , , ,

Savoring

June 26, 2009 By Kalia Leave a Comment

This month we will look at the practice of mindfulness.  Last month’s 3 mindful alignments is a wonderful place to start.

Let’s  explore another simple way to foster mindfulness.

Savoring:  We savor the moment when we attune to our senses.  We allow all of our attention to go toward the sounds of the birds singing, the smell of the blooming gardenias, or the crisp, juicy texture and flavor of the first watermelon of the season.

In these acts of savoring, we allow another opportunity to be in the present moment, and expanding our capacity to do so.

Filed Under: Action, Curiosity, gratitude, How-to, Learning, Mind, Stress Tagged With: , , , , ,

Finding this moment

May 25, 2009 By Kalia Leave a Comment

Here are two practices for bringing your body back into balance after a stressful moment (or moments)

  1. Take time (even 10 minutes) to go for a walk.  Move your body, get your circulation going, clearing your mind of stressful thoughts and lingering stress hormones that keep you out of balance.
  2. When you are sitting at your desk, or in your car, or otherwise unable to head out for a walk, try these three moves (adapted from Healht Acton, Inc)
Filed Under: Action, Curiosity, Energy, health, Inspiration, Learning, Stress Tagged With: , , , , ,

Mindfulness

May 7, 2009 By Kalia Leave a Comment

Everyone I speak to lately seems to be living with a lot of intensity in their lives.  Whether it is too much exposure to sensational media, or the intensity of day-to-day life, we are all living with heightened levels of stress.

Our bodies are programmed to handle brief periods of stress.  Hormones such as cortisol are released by our bodies as part of our ‘fight or flight’ response, and when the stress is occasional, our body is perfectly equipped to bring itself

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Filed Under: Energy, health, How-to, Learning, Mind, Stress Tagged With: , ,