Intuitive exercise

[Guest guest]

We've been posting a lot lately about how some of us find weighing,

counting and measuring work counter to our desire and ability to eat

freely and intuitively and with enjoyment, and I've realised I need

to apply the same principle to exercise.

For various reasons, I haven't used the weight machines at my local

gym for some months (I've done cardio there, and occasional light

free weights at home). And once I'd fallen out of the habit, and lost

a little conditioning, I really put off returning because I dreaded

starting all over again, finding it overwhelming, boring, defeating

before I'd even commenced. I had no motivation, and was negatively

associating gym work and hard exercise with my former dieting

mindset. I was intimidated by my program (even though it's probably

the sort of program that Press and Gymisadrug could rip through in

their sleep <gg>), and by the thought that I would struggle to get

through it and would conk out half way. I was afraid of failing.

So today I went back with a completely different approach. (Serious

gym rats, cover your eyes now.) I just DID what I FELT like. I

didn't even bother recording sets or reps, just wandered from machine

to machine (I know them well enough to know what weights/levels to

set for myself), and knocked out a set here and there, my favourite

machines and exercises. I worked each body part intuitively, as much

as I felt appropriate for a first time back. I worked hard enough

without killing myself - I know I'll be pleasantly sore tomorrow.

And there was no guilt about not doing enough sets per body part, not

following or finishing my program " perfectly " . I couldn't " fail "

because there was no set measurement of supposed success. I was just

doing what was best in the circumstances and what felt right.

And damn I feel good. I'm looking forward to going back in a few

days and doing it all again.

Raawwwk on!!

S

<flexing bicep>