It was Henry Ford who once said; if you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right. When it comes to our lives, one of the most powerful forces we can have on our side is our system of belief. Mind over matter has been used to explain the phenomenon of mothers gaining superhuman strength to save their babies, the ability for people to walk unharmed over hot coals, for monks to use meditation to dry cold sheets or even the placebo effect. Our perception of any situation is key to helping us make it into a tragedy or an opportunity. In short when we think “it must be done”, or even better, “it is done already,” most things are achievable.
For those of you who have seen me in the past few months (or even overheard me whilst you were seeing one of our other awesome chiropractors,) you would have heard me talk about running again. At the beginning of the year, I decided it was time I put some effort into moving more. Ask any Chiropractor in the practice, movement is a foundational part of health. We preach it every day.
There are of course different approaches to movement- the type that your chiropractor monitors; whether your top vertebral bone is moving the same to the left as it does to the right or whether your temporal bones are moving well enough to accommodate changes in CSF flow.
When working well, this type of movement can have a hugely beneficial impact on how well your nervous system is able to coordinate the functions of your body. And then there is the type where you run about for fun or chase a ball or paddle through water, (you get the drift). This type of movement is also incredibly beneficial to the body and completely within our access. The trick is working it into your schedule and then persisting with it.
When I decided I needed a better way to accommodate movement in my life, I stumbled across a cool program to get back to running. It’s called Run with Turia, I thinks it’s brilliant and highly recommend it, and no I am not an affiliate! What I love about it is how accessible she makes running to the average person. She has some great tools to help people get into the rhythm of running in a safe, injury prevention informed way. So many of the cool tricks I’ve picked up from the program have been because she and her team have presented them in an empowering way.
A continuous run becomes possible when you embrace the shuffle. The post run redness I experience makes me a beet babe. The horrible interval training that she suggests we do once a week is reframed into a sizzle session. With this reframe, persisting with the program is easier, and the results generated are compounded and now, I’m back running. I know I am capable, I can fit it in around my crazy life and I’m reaping all the heath rewards that go with it.
Here’s, the thing- the type of reframing that I find so useful in this running program can be modified for any situation we find ourselves in. Taking the time to reframe the activities we don’t like doing makes them seem more achievable and can help prevent procrastination. More powerfully, it allows us to quell our inner critic and look for solutions rather than ruminating on problems. The freedom gained from such a perception shift is wonderful. I give it 5 stars.
With Love,
