to keep a daily routine, or not to keep a daily routine?

that is the question, really. if you’ve ever taken class with me,  you know that i like variety. you do too - you’ve told me so! so thanks for that. it’s also the same approach i take to setting a daily workout regimen or fitness “goals”. i know some of us lament not being able to set a daily routine. moi aussi! but here’s the thing: it seems that every time i resolve - out loud, or in my calendar, or simply telepathically to myself - something, i.e. my body, objects. why? because our bodies know what’s best. period. and sometimes a repetitive routine simply ain’t it.

when i was a young competitive gymnast, my lungs and left lower back objected at certain points in my training to the extreme and repetitive movement, stress and chalk. as a 19 year old Division I athlete, my left knee objected to the lack of sleep and shit diet i subscribed to my first two years of college. eventually, those injuries and misalignments added up to a mysterious lower back/hip thing - the PT i went to for help said, incredulously, “did you pull your glute max?” - when i decided to run 5K races in my mid-twenties whilst continuing to dance professionally. in graduate school for dance and choreography - though i survived a full professional, 15-year dance career - my left hip (do you see a pattern??) developed a pull injury that physical therapy sorta helped. and most recently, my pregnant body and lax ligaments objected to my resolve to practice a 10 minute weights and balance regimen every day. i was super excited to discover a squat and balance flow - nothing crazy y’all - and literally said out loud, “i’m gonna do this every day!” welp, the next morning, my right elbow said, “nope, you’re not!” as i was in quite a bit of “tennis elbow” discomfort, apparently, a normal side-effect of pregnant bodies.

i realize i’m able-bodied and extremely fortunate to have been able to perform at a high level of sports and physical movement in general over a long period of time. if i want to continue i ABSOLUTELY MUST listen to my body. i’m getting better at letting go of the urge to, in some ways, force my body to comply with what my brain thinks is best. 

“premature labor”

and you know what? it’s liberating. yesterday i helped my mother-in-law dead head the roses and rake the leaves. lots of squatting and reaching involved. the day before i wheeled the barrow for Ludo who clipped the hedge. lots of walking and light upper body and back connection involved. i also taught Pilates class and played on my yoga trapeze. Ludo and i went for a bike ride last week. and my body has not objected to the variety of daily tasks, gardening, and bodymind movement all thrown together. 

​i know it’s tempting to want to enforce a routine on our body and set objective goals. and by all means DO if it makes you happy, floats your boat, and is sustainable. the takeaway then? 1) listen to your body, and 2) no need to beat yourself up if it objects to a regimen you want to keep up. shift it a little. there are zillions of ways incorporate daily movement, strength, and stretching routines. at least at this stage in my life, it’s all about creativity, variety and ease. where can you find the flow, friend?

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