Walk like an elephant? Imagine that.
Not so long ago, a thought breezed through my mind. (This happens every now and again.) I wondered, are elephants or whales considered overweight? I know they are the largest mammals on the planet. Yet they are not overweight nor are they restricted by their girth. They are mammoths who move and who are who they were meant to be.
Elephants normally walk about 4 miles per hour. They travel long distances. Whales are constantly in motion and migrate long distances. While elephants are herbivores and eat vegetation including grass, fruit and bark, some whales are omnivores – eating krill, fish and smaller mammals (depending on which type of whale they are).
These thoughts reinforce my belief in the importance of being me, of having self-acceptance. I am an elephant, a hippy-hippy-hippo, a whale of a gal. Accepting that means I break free of restrictions on what, if and why I ambulate projected at me by media and medical messages that always equate exercise with weight loss. (Even my dear mom who came upon me exercising to an exercise video and on my Nordic Track one day years ago, couldn’t understand why I would exercise so hard if I was still fat.)
What if I move just because I can, simply because I want to, because it makes me feel good it feels good without a goal in mind? How freeing is that? Walk the hill because it is there. Keep walking the hills because it makes you feel good. Walk frequently. Set goals for yourself. Vary your route, your routine. Make it a game. Compete with yourself. Never get on a scale. Don’t avoid looking in the mirror. Accept your frame. What if I stopped thinking about weight, eat my colors daily and just move it-move it?
That’s where I am. Moving, like an elephant, like a whale, through aches and pains with no envy or goal. Just being.
If you liked this post, you might other (more eloquent posts) like:
The”>blog.candelariasilva.com/2010/01/31/the-hills-are-alive-2.aspx”>The Hills Are Alive
I Love Walking in Dorchester
Thank you for this post! As I embark on my career in health care I often feel conflicted about the messages medical professionals send. I struggle with exercise cause it seems like an extra job. I just want to move without a goal in mind simply cause it feels good to move. Your posts are liberating, insightful and true. I appreciate you!
What a lovely comment! It’s nice to be appreciated. I think it is important to move because it feels good and is good for us at every stage of life. It’s good for the limbs, the heart and for our emotional well-being. Thanks for visiting and for taking the time to leave a message.