squats & trots

Right before my surgery, a co-worker shared with me a great piece of wisdom. She told me to look at this situation as a good thing because I wasn’t losing ground but simply moving sideways. Moving sideways can be the best direction to go because you are still moving but you find a new endpoint so you gain a new perspective. I was awestruck at her casual brilliance as she then continued on with our conversation.

This is a fantastic way to illustrate that so much in life is simply a matter of perspective.

Regressing can be a way of moving forward as well. In the gym today my joints seemed to want a rest day much more than my brain did so I modified everything, reduced weight and reps, and ended up leaving about half an hour early.

Progress!

If I had fought my way through my planned workout, I know that I would have set myself back with irritation, inflammation, or injury. Sure I didn’t leave the gym today feeling like I accomplished a lot because my skin wasn’t as tomato red as normal but I know that I have a much better chance of being successful in my next scheduled workout and getting back on track faster. Leaving with the sense I didn’t work out hard meant that I listened to my body and didn’t aggravate any pending issues. Our bodies are extremely intelligent because they tell us exactly what they need; we just have to listen.

So as long as you are moving, then you are progressing. Sometimes it is sideways and sometimes it is backwards but that is how we truly create ourselves. If we keep pushing forward with our heads down, we can miss the forks in the road. And if we don’t make decisions on which direction to go then is there any value to the direction we are going?