Being a group fitness instructor for 18 years, I was really good at cranking the music and using exercise as a distraction and as an escape. I toyed with more is better and I valued a run with music blaring over a walk in nature with no headphones. However, we’re taught that exercise is so good for us, right? Well, not so much in the way that the gyms are showing us. I think that the health and fitness industry, as well as the western medicine industry, has been teaching us incorrectly for a really long time.
What I mean by this is that there has been a focus on diet, exercise, and medicine with a complete ignoring of the deeper aspects of ourselves that determine our wellness and our vibration. The deeper aspects of ourselves include our energy field, our emotions, and what we are creating with the mind and our beliefs.
In order to shift from being body shallow, the fitness and health industries could consider the following:
Before and after body pics are so shallow ? Yep, they are…period. If someone went through a wellness transformation program I would be more interested in hearing how they learned to love and honor themselves, regardless of how they look in a picture.
Shift the shallow measurements. We have tied so much of our value or defined ourselves as “good” or “bad” based on numbers on a scale or clothing sizes. I think true self-acceptance and listening to our bodies comes from a letting go of the over-focus on the measurements. Throw the scale away.
Whether or not we have chosen to accept ourselves and be comfortable in our own skin is a significant determinant of our personal energetic vibration. Simply choosing self-love is healing. Deep and peaceful self-acceptance makes us more energetically radiant and improves our personal vibration. Let’s speak lovingly to ourselves.
Shift the shallow with others. I have noticed so much of a focus on how people look in our society. I have experienced comments on my own body and I have heard people talk about other peoples’ bodies. It is shallow… period. I suggest we notice and compliment people on their deeper qualities of character instead of what their body looks like.
We have to consider our energy, emotions, and beliefs when it comes to our wellness. Our health is not simply calories in, calories out, and what medication can we use. What are we creating with our energy and our beliefs about our bodies? Do we feel safe to be ourselves in the world or do we protect ourselves or hide? No one can tell us this, we have to tune into, feel, and know this ourselves.
Nearly 90% of all disease is stress-related. We are stuck in our lower brains and our bodies can’t regenerate and heal when we are in the stress response. Has your medical doctor talked to you about healing your stress lately? Physical activity is great for stress, however I believe that too much or being extreme about it actually forces us into and perpetuates stress and tension in the body. We may be forcing our bodies and creating patterns of lower brain fight or flight by doing too much fight (kickboxing) or flight (running or too much cardio). Being free and happy in our bodies looks like joyful expression, radiance, and wellness – with balanced and harmonious stillness and movement.
Finally, watch the extreme thinking when it comes to the body. The fat-free, carb-free, etc, movements over the past 25 years has damaged our ability to trust food, trust our bodies, and listen to what our bodies want. Similarly, our bodies don’t need hours of activity per day. If you are doing more than 30 minutes, be conscientious of what the motivation is or what you might be escaping from. There may be an avoidance of feeling deeper into your body and your emotions.
In summary, to heal, to be free, to be happy, and to be radiantly healthy, we can’t continue shallowness when it comes to our bodies. If something isn’t going right with the body, whether it is illness or injury, ask yourself what you might be learning or what your body might be telling you. Dig deep, feel everything, fly high!
In Peace,
Rev. Dr. Rachel Wetzsteon
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