I'm really glad I am part of not one but two book clubs. The books we read are ones that I may not normally pick up and they tend to be fiction which I rarely read on my own. What I do read on my own is non-fiction, evidenced based books mostly on exercise (surprise!) but also business, psychology and biographies. This month I completed my book club books already so I "released" a book from being on hold at the library. It's been on my hold list for months and I purposely kept it there until I knew I could dive in with my full attention. The book is called Burnout: the secret to unlocking the stress cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski. I heard them on a podcast months back and what they shared was enlightening to me about stress. As you can guess, they talk about physical activity. Not exercise per se but moving your body. And how it is the single most efficient strategy for completing the stress cycle. I know! Woot Woot! You can imagine me cheering. Not to say I'm not learning anything from this book because that is simply not true. But what it has helped reinforce is the idea of physical activity's power over the past 16 months. Physical activity can no longer be looked at only as a "weight loss tool" or something that builds strength. It is much more than that! Think about it... Have you looked at moving your body as something to do when dealing with stress? Has the impact of a world wide pandemic changed your opinion of moving your body? If you haven't thought about it, I'd encourage you to do so now. Moving gives us space to not only improve our physical health but also our mental, emotional and spiritual health. And if you are like me, this has been essential in 2020 and 2021. Now reading this book couldn't have been at a better time. This past week I received some heart retching news. A high school friend and former water polo teammate of mine passed away. I can't tell you how much this has hurt my heart. He was 41 years young. The day I found out I luckily had a swimming lane booked and it seemed so fitting that with bouts of crying and sadness, I was able to move my body through the water and help complete the stress cycle - grief. Grief isn't a one day thing by any means but that swim was EXACTLY what I needed to move through the immense emotion. It was even more fitting as our friendship grew at the pool. My swim felt freeing and smooth with the rush of the water after each flip turn and push off from the wall being releasing. No other way to honour my friend…and myself. This week's event has been challenging - on many levels than I care to admit. Yet what I want you to consider is now you have the opportunity too to use physical activity to deal with whatever stress comes your way. Want to learn more about the Burnout book? Check out this TED Talk with the authors. Stay well & happy stress relieving moving,
Lisa P.S. Believe it or not, I'm building my Fall schedule right now! And it includes offering Yoga Therapy! Into August, I'll have the booking system up and running. Learn more about the details on my website! P.P.S. If you are new here, you can read previous newsletters here. This newsletter content isn't something I share anywhere else (it's not even accessible without this link). I try and give my newsletter subscribers the best of the best! I hope you enjoy the content as it keeps your week focused on moving your body…whatever is the best way for you!
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October 2024
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