Often times, I see people at the edge of needing a change with their bodies.

How do you know when you’re entering a change cycle with your body?

Here’s a few scenarios:

You’re finding it harder to get motivated for the workouts or activities that used to feel exciting

You’re having a harder time ignoring those niggles (an actual term for those persistent aches or pains that don’t seem to have a specific cause).

You’re a runner who’s starting to wonder if you’re actually being good to your body.

Or you’re an easy hiker who’s wondering if something more challenging like running a marathon or climbing a mountain would ever be possible.

These are cases where a change cycle is beginning in regards to your body.

The body loves variety and thrives when we use it to explore new ways of moving and playing.

The problem comes when we either ignore or resist these signals to shift what we’re doing

We end up with repetitive stress injuries, we burn out and give up exercise all together, or we fall into a relationship with our own bodies where we lose the joy of movement and end up complaining about our ailments all the time… No fun.

What if it could be different? What if, by listening to the signals of the change cycle, you were able to find better balance in your movements so that your aches and pains diminish, your enthusiasm for movement activities soars, and you find yourself enjoying and exploring life more fully?

Navigating the change cycle is part of what we do in my Foundations of Moving Freely and Living Fully program. If you’d like to read more about it click here and consider signing up for a free consultation!

In the meantime, if you find yourself at the beginning of a change cycle with your relationship to your body:

Listen to those small twinges, aches, pains, dips in energy, and even sicknesses… sure, attend to them if you need, but try to spend some time with them instead of running from them, numbing them out and making them go away.

Through listening you can at least open to the possibility of understanding what stories and beliefs you hold:

my identity depends on my body being/doing x,y,z, or I’m just getting old, or doing X is the only way to stay healthy…

You might begin to understand what your body is asking for, you can finally begin the process of letting go and grieving outdated stories, beliefs, and ways of being that are no longer serving you.

It’s only through this process that you can truly move to the next stage of dreaming up something new and better.

So, try that, be patient- take your time with it, and let me know if you have any questions or revelations!