Does exercise have anything to do with your biz?

Well, if you relate to exercise in the typical way (you know, exercise is good for you and your health, blah, blah, blah....), then maybe nothing.

However if you're willing to hear what I have to share with you about what I have learned through my experience then you will relate--a lot. Let me paint a picture for you of what exercise used to be for me. I have been an active person most of my life without really paying attention to it. It was something that naturally happened for me. As a child I spent 60% of my time on my bike and the rest was hanging out with boys climbing the trees. I was a definite tomboy.  All throughout my adolescence I was engaged in some form of physical activity. Then when I became an adult, I joined a gym that I went to regularly.

Everything changed for me when I switched my business from working with people in person to creating a phone/virtual business.  I turned into a technology geek. Like in those movies you see these geeky guys in glasses sitting in front of their computers all day long. I became one of them.  I greatly decreased all forms of physical activity. In so many ways I became a technology addict. I was working on the phone and in front of the computer the biggest part of my days. Physical activity took a back seat. After doing this for a while, I gradually started noticing the symptoms of my inactivity.

First there were the usual visual effects. My body lost its tone. My stamina was not what it used to be. And that was just the beginning.

What I started to notice next really got my attention.

I was noticing more and more frequently that I was engaging in less than positive mental patterns around who I am and around my business.  I kept questioning myself and my abilities and I kept participating in a mental dialog that was not at all supportive. These were patterns that I already had moved through and resolved in my life before, and yet they kept creeping in. It would take me longer than usual to get out of these patterns and they somehow felt out of context and out of my character for where I was in my life.

Yes sure, we all have negative thoughts from time to time and we get challenged as we move to new places in our business and our lives, however this place felt different. I was beginning to get fed up with it, so I decided to get to the bottom of what it was about.  What I came to learn was astounding.

MY big AHA moment came through a TV show.

One day I was watching my favorite show called The Dog Whisperer. The show is about people who have trouble with the behavior of their dogs and tried what they consider everything without any favorable solution. So they call on Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer) to come and help them to resolve the situation. 

In the episode I watched, Cesar was explaining to the dog owners that you have to match the physical activity of the dog to the breed of the dog. Basically, if a dog comes from a hunting breed he needs a lot of physical exercise and movement to expel the energy, to be healthy and function at its optimal level. Otherwise the dog will develop destructive behaviors. So the basic formula is to know the breed of the dog and match the physical activity with its needs for optimal functioning. We as humans are not any different. We have to know who we are and where we come from and match the activities to that function at our optimum level.

I was watching this with my mouth open because my answer was staring me in the face. I was going through the same thing. I'm a naturally energetic and alive person. I like to move and be active. It is part of who I am.  Because I let that go and became sedentary and because I wasn't  really matching my needs with movement; I ended up creating all these destructive mental and emotional patterns in an attempt to do something with my pent up energy.  Now that I had clarity about what was going on I decided to take action.

So I got my bike out and started going on bike rides. I have a little trampoline that I jump on and different exercise gadgets that I circulate. I can't do the same thing all the time. Gets me bored too quickly. And when that happens I have a tendency to quit.  So it is a must for me to keep it fun and entertaining. I also started kickboxing. I could see changes in me almost instantly.

I started to see my body shaping and toning up. I started to have more energy, better focus; I started to feel more alive and best of all--my destructive patterns melted away with my movement.

A long time ago I used to exercise because I wanted to look good and for others to like me. It was a more superficial experience. Now I do it for me, not because I think I should but because I feel on so many levels the value that movement provides for me.

One of my biggest realizations was:

Even though in a traditional business structure we don't think of movement/exercise as an important business tool, for me movement is as important in building my business as marketing, writing or coaching. It keeps me centered, focused, energized and clearly moving forward with ease and confidence.

What about you?

I want to challenge you to look at how movement plays a role in how you function and also how effectively you are able to use your energy in your business and in your life.  Let me know how it goes.

If you would like support around getting clear on how to create a business based on who you are, using your powers, innate gifts and abilities, give me a shout. I'm only a phone call or e-mail away.