This post is the thirteenth in a blog series where I’m exploring various aspects of INSPIRATION. When I chose INSPIRATION as my word for this year, my first thoughts were about finding, acting on and (in some cases) limiting INSPIRATION.
I also knew I wanted this word to motivate me not only in my
scrapbooking and crafting but also in my physical, spiritual and
intellectual goals. During my FUN year last year, I published a two-week
series entitled Where Does My Inspiration Come From?, which looked at the many different sources of INSPIRATION
specifically for scrapbook layouts. However, in this series, I’ll be
sharing a word for each letter of the alphabet (from A to Z) that relates to INSPIRATION along with my random and in-depth thoughts on that word and the various ways it relates to INSPIRATION in our lives.
M is for Movement
Movement is defined as "the act of changing place or position or posture" or simply "action." Movement involves changing the position of the body or parts of the body or a shift in position. [There are other definitions of Movement, including "a group of people with a shared aim" or "change that occurs," however today I'm simply exploring the type of movement that occurs when we alter our position or perform an action.]
After a successful year of weight loss and healthier living in 2014, this year I've regressed in some areas, particularly when it comes to regular exercise. So, adding Movement back into my daily routine has been on my mind quite a bit as we near the end of the year. I have been thinking about the types of motivation and INSPIRATION that will help me get back to incorporating more Movement into each day. In fact, I almost decided to adopt "move" as my word for next year to insure that I focus on it throughout the year.
However, I decided there was no need to wait until 2016, and I set a goal for myself to add exercise Movement into my day every day beginning November 1! In addition to the benefits of feeling better and hopefully losing some of the weight I have re-gained, I decided on some rewards for additional INSPIRATION. My goal is to exercise for 30 minutes each day, and to give myself a big boost as I started, my first reward (for seven days straight of exercise) would be an appointment to get my hair highlighted for the holidays. I was successful (and even exercised more than 30 minutes three of those days), and got a little trim, too.
I was also successful in earning my second reward, a new workout outfit, after another seven days straight of exercise! I've been including several kinds of exercise Movement over these past few weeks - rides on the stationary bike here at home, walks with Robbie in our neighborhood, workouts with a personal trainer at the local recreation center, and strength training and exercise videos here at home.
I'm halfway to earning a third reward - a new jacket for my wardrobe - for completing 14 straight days of exercise. This is actually much harder than the first two rounds, not only because it's twice as many days, but because these days have/will include a two-day trip to Scrappin' Goodtime in Corsicana, Robbie's birthday, a visit from Robbie's brother, Thanksgiving Day, and the long holiday weekend!
I even created a FUN vision board to remind me to move more each day. I had a piece of foam packaging that I trimmed down to begin my board, then I covered it with pages of text torn from old magazines.
Zooming in, you can see that I actually adhered all the text upside down. This is a trick that I learned in Ali Edward's One Little Word class last year - it keeps the text from distracting from the overall theme .
I knew I wanted to use this graphic from my INSPIRATION file. I like that it depicts a woman getting some exercise as she travels (presumably) to or from the library. It seems like a reminder to think about how I can incorporate Movement into my every day life. (While it's not really feasible for me to ride my bike to the library, Robbie and I have taken several Saturday morning walks to the grocery store to pick up a few items.)
I used the colors from the graphic as INSPIRATION for the color scheme of my vision board and painted the edges and center of the board with matching acrylic paint I found in my supplies. (It is so nice to have supplies on hand when INSPIRATION strikes!)
I flipped through magazines and added a list of words that all reflect Movement and healthy living benefits.
I completed the vision board by adding other graphics that also showed women incorporating Movement into their everyday lives.
In summary, incorporating Movement into our everyday lives leads to many health benefits which can be the actual INSPIRATION and motivation to include more Movement.
What Movement do you regularly incorporate into your days? Please share your thoughts on Movement and INSPIRATION in the comments.
Click HERE to see all my INSPIRATION A-Z posts, or click a letter below to see individual posts.
Well done on coming up with a plan which works and for keeping going. A reward scheme sounds like a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI made a layout about Pilates about a year ago now; but I'm thinking about making another to record the fact that I have kept it up and even manage to fit in a second class some weeks.
Great job! I get to the gym for weight training 2-3 times a week, and get at least one very long (over 5 miles) walk each week. I've slacked off on the daily walks---no good excuse!
ReplyDeleteWell, congrats on for motivation for movement. I like the idea of setting up short-term rewards - I might try that. And that looks like more than a little trim - you are lightening up all around!
ReplyDelete