What’s The Perfect Workout?

When I started out for my run this morning I felt much more like taking a walk and asked myself this question, “Does it matter?” When I run, I run slowly and when I walk, I walk fast.  I was out in the fresh air. I had my dog, Luna, with me. We were happy enough to be moving about. Did it matter more if I ran? Was it better to walk? Seemed like a walking day to me and Luna gave me her vote to use in the way I thought best. The answer was in my intention. Was it the end result or the doing that I was after?

Yesterday I visited with a friend under a tree in the park. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw her without knitting needles in her hand. “Is your knitting in your bag?” I asked. “Oh no,” she told me, “I’m not working on anything right now.” I was shocked. “I have to feel an itch for it,” she explained. “Do you get an itch for the final product or the feel of the yarn in your hands?” I asked. “Oh, I just love the doing,” she said.  She went on to tell me that when she was first learning to knit she often knitted gloves just to watch the fingers appear. Then she would unravel the yarn and knit the gloves all over again. She loved the doing.

I wanted to move, exercise, feel fit, trim the fat, and make my heart strong. There couldn’t be one best way to do all of that and I wanted to enjoy my morning with Luna. We ran a few blocks, and then walked. We toured the neighborhood, and then went to the park. We greeted people, made new friends, and then we were done.

I believe the perfect workout is the one you are willing to do at the time. Follow your hunches and your heart. If you are measuring distance or speed or weight loss, then like baking a cake, you want to get the ingredients right. If you are more concerned with simply feeling good and being the best you can be, you can mix up what you like and enjoy the doing. The most important factor is knowing yourself, what you are able to do, and what makes you feel good. Whatever fits that bill is the perfect workout. Just get it done now!

Krista Nelson

www.justgetitdonenow.com

Writing to Encourage