Daily Movement Prompts, Saturday, May 6, 2017 edition: Personal Choices
I was thinking about the odd question, “Are you doing healthy things for yourself?” and I started to wonder if that places odd pressure on us. First, not everything we do is necessarily “healthy” since that word can be subjective.
Maybe you love an extreme sport. Is it “healthy” to risk injuries? Maybe someone else in your sport has to choose shorter routes or workout times or easier slopes … Because *your* body is at a different skill level than their body. The “safe” route for your skills could be too extreme for the newcomer. So if they did your workout, it would be unsafe, maybe even unhealthy.
Or your internal systems could be wildly different from other people. You could be allergic to one ingredient, making this food choices here an unhealthy choice for *you.* Or you have survived surgery or sickness or cancer… Your “healthy” is not the same as mine.
And this is where I propose maybe we ask a different question. “Are you pleased with YOUR personal choices today?” Because then we reinforce the personal nature of our movement choices. And remove the comparison, competition pressure. And refuse to allow shame to be a motivator.
And then I can also ask this IN THE CONTEXT of my other choices. My body today could be feeling different from yesterday. So my choices *today* matter for today.
How are you feeling about your personal choices today? How will you move? How will you rest? What’s next?