Nobody’s Perfect

I wear heels. And sometimes I don’t roll before I workout. And sometimes I do something crazy like sit for a whole day because I feel like it. But I make conscious decisions about what I’m doing. I make decisions about my body knowing (mostly) what the outcome will be and what I will have to do to relieve it.

Sometimes we are conned into feeling guilty about a choice we make because someone else says “you should be doing XYZ”. Sure, standing at your work station may be better for your posture, breathing and health in the log run, but don’t go and throw out your chair, because trust me, you WILL want to sit in it again.

I used to feel guilty about wearing my favorite pair of wedges or my boots that have a tiny heel, but you know what? I don’t wear them everyday and when I do wear them, my body protests and I handle the repercussions.

We’re not going to escape or completely avoid things. We must be reasonable if we are going to live peacefully with our bodies in the world. If you’re so concerned about the ill-effects of sitting, are you going to avoid it entirely? Are you going to insist to be driven around so you can lay flat in the back seat? Are you going to stand in the back of a movie theater so you don’t have to sit? No! Let’s be reasonable.

I’m not perfect by any means and I hope that you know that. I spent the last week recovering from my 15K run, and when I say recovering, I seriously mean recovering. (Side note: training is very important…I should have considered that)

Anyways, this last week was seriously humbling, as I had to change how I walked and moved. Though fleeting, I had a reminder of how difficult it is for those with mobility issues and who live with chronic pain. It sucks and I’m sorry. (Please tell me what types of things I can share that will help and/or interest you!)

This idea of movement moderation was spurred after listening to two titans of movement, Katy Bowman and Kelly Starrett in a video interview. It’s a long one, but if you have some laundry to fold or something that will keep you occupied for an hour, I strongly recommend it. While it is a video, it could also be a podcast, so you don’t have to watch it closely (I just had the audio on while I worked).

You don’t have to be perfect – no one expects you to. And the stress of trying to make yourself perfect is going to drive you crazy! So let go and know that you have all the tools and techniques needed to soothe whatever you get yourself in to 😉