Defining’ Your Body
Rob Wright
What is your body? Is it a cluster of cells, playing roles as needed forming muscles, bones, tendons, teeth, nails, hair, organs, and eyeballs? Or is it just this cumbersome thing your mind drags around daily, frustratingly lagging behind the sprinting gray matter ahead. Could it be your instrument with the perfectly polished brass of a beckoning trumpet, or elegantly finished baby grand piano that need not even be played to display its beauty? Is it your hammer and nail, as an athlete or physical laborer? Maybe it houses a mind that crunches numbers, builds bridges, or ponders the imponderable. We know this much, it is yours. How you view it, use it, and for what end and purpose is completely up to you.
What is your body for? Now, this question could be answered as pragmatically or existentially as you wish, but it should be answered in some fashion. What does it do for me? What does it symbolize, and what is it truly? To determine the best workout regiment for you, figure out the needs you are and are not currently meeting for your particular body and the way you use it to experience your unique life. Factor in your body type, current strengths, weaknesses, and imbalances and you have a great start to thoroughly examining your approach to training. This applies to beginners as well as seasoned “fitness-enthusiasts”.
Some of us have spent year by year, sweating and grunting in the gym… and sweating and grunting at home as we slide our chair up to a table that displays a strict, clean meal that resembles nothing like a pizza. It is easy to fall into routine, hit a plateau, or just jump in to the newest fad training program that rears its head. Always reevaluate yourself and where your fitness program entwines with you and your bodily changes over time and new or different need.
Most of us, when we stop to examine the existential and philosophical angle of the physical being, come to the conclusion we should view our body as very sacred. It is our link to the earth and the very vessel for our soul. Therefore, it obviously should be treated with respect and care. Yes, for the amazing instrument that it is, but also so that it can have as little inhibition as possible, while serving as your tool and your home throughout whatever your adventure is and shall be. Yes—serving. Your body serves you—for life. Treat it as such. Your body is the very tip of the arrow with which you pierce this world and experience your story. It is your defense and it is your safe haven. The body forges ahead, through the sometimes hazardous maze of life. If it is in balance, the hazards become less, your spirit will breathe easier, and your mind will be sharper being better attuned than before.