All my life I have avoided physical exercise wherever possible. I had a resolute association with exercise being hard, painful and exhausting. If I was already feeling tired, the last thing I would want to do is put further strain on my body.
Listening to the Universal Medicine presentations over the years, a message has been ringing out loud and clear that I have stubbornly resisted for quite some time – about the importance of looking after your body, and developing strength in order to be fit for life. Eventually I started an exercise routine to include walking and swimming, but from a negative perspective that exercise was something you had to do that was apparently good for you.
I did not exercise from a connection to my body, but rather from a discipline and as one of the ‘should dos’ of my day.
I went along to a ‘Creative Health & Rehabilitation’ exercise class as another ‘should do’. The exercises in this class were focused on building core strength. I did not really have a sense in my body of what core strength was, but it sounded like something I could do with. Over a period of only a few weeks I started to notice some changes.
What became obvious quite quickly was that my residual back pain reduced, and when I had an active day at work I did not feel so wiped out. When I went swimming I noticed that my kicking had improved and that I could actually feel some power in my movement through the water. This inspired me to do more core exercises at home, and I requested a personal program to develop my core strength specifically.
In the space of a few months I feel that my relationship with my body has completely changed. I feel much more confident in my strength and resilience, no longer waking up with the same anxiety around having enough energy to ‘get through the day’. My posture has changed and I can feel that the way I hold myself and move allows a deeper connection to all of my body – my body as a woman.
I now feel that exercise, and supporting my body through developing my core strength, give me more energy for the day ahead! And as a result I feel more committed to life and more joyful when I wake up in the morning.
I never would have thought that developing my physical core strength could have changed my life, and also given me a very tangible connection to the essence of who I am. It has been a tremendous gift that I now have as a foundation upon which to further deepen and expand my expression in daily life, with a joyful heart and a stronger body.
Forever inspired by the practical and loving wisdom of Universal Medicine.
By Janet Williams
Further Reading:
Change your life
“One Step At a Time – Anything Else is Just Too Tricky!”
Exercise: Gentle and Flowing or Pounding and Pushing?
589 Comments
Building a strong foundation, or core, in physical fitness brings an aliveness to everything we are.
Thank you Janet, as exercising when we have connected to our essences first definitely takes on a whole new approach to the way we approach life and exercise, which developes a Truly healthy and vital body.
I too used to avoid exercise like the plague OR really push myself hard until I collapsed or was battered from martial arts. But exercising with my body and not pushing it when it feels to stop feels amazing and very supportive. I don’t go up the weights on the machines very fast but that is not the point. If I can still benefit from the first weight then that’s ok for me! I feel stronger and have more stamina when I exercise with me. Push it and it takes days to recover.
It is lovely to read of the benefits you are experiencing by building your core strength; I personally find core strength exercises to be invaluable.
This is a beautiful testimony to the benefits of exercising whilst connected with self, ‘I now feel that exercise, and supporting my body through developing my core strength, give me more energy for the day ahead! And as a result I feel more committed to life and more joyful when I wake up in the morning.’