avatarMarilyn Flower

Summary

Marilyn Flower reflects on the importance of staying active, inspired by the Crow's Feet Writing Prompt #44 and the physical activities of her peers, despite past struggles with physical education and a car accident that impacted her mobility.

Abstract

Marilyn Flower, a writer and advocate for staying active, shares her journey of embracing physical activity despite historical challenges in sports and a life-altering car accident. Drawing inspiration from fellow Crow's Feet writers who engage in diverse activities like weightlifting, pole dancing, and ice skating, Flower acknowledges the transformative power of movement. She recounts her past aversion to sports, her love for dance, and the subsequent decline in her physical activity after her accident. Now, she actively participates in Zumba Gold and Essentrics workouts, recognizing the spiritual and physical benefits of exercise, including pain relief, stress reduction, and improved mood and memory. Flower emphasizes the necessity of consistent movement throughout the day, not just during workouts, to maintain health and well-being.

Opinions

  • The author admits to historically poor performance in physical education and a lack of interest in sports, which contrasts with her current advocacy for staying active.
  • Flower expresses a deep sense of inspiration drawn from the active lifestyles of her peers, particularly those who engage in unique and challenging physical pursuits.
  • She reveals a personal transformation from being averse to sports to becoming passionate about dance and other forms of exercise.
  • The car accident in 2002 is pinpointed as a turning point that negatively affected her physical health and activity level, leading to weight gain and depression.
  • The author has a positive opinion of Zumba Gold and Essentrics, noting their benefits for her physical and spiritual well-being.
  • Flower believes in the interconnectedness of physical activity and spiritual practice, suggesting that exercise contributes to a grounded and grateful mindset.
  • She acknowledges the scientifically supported benefits of exercise, such as increased brain blood flow, neuron growth, and the release of endorphins, which contribute to mood elevation and stress relief.
  • The author critiques the sedentary lifestyle, equating excessive sitting with smoking in terms of health risks, and advocates for regular movement as a preventive measure.
  • Flower takes direct inspiration from Nancy Peckenham's directive to "Get a Move On," emphasizing the importance of taking such advice seriously for personal health.

You, My Fellow Crow’s Feeters, Inspire Me To Strive To Stay Active & Thrive

Crow’s Feet Writing Prompt #44: Staying Active

Photo by Ryan Snaadt on Unsplash

I suck at staying active.

Yes, I can turn off — no wait, I rarely turn off — my computer. Scratch that.

I can stand up, step away from my computer, and move my body. Yes, I can. I still can. Thank God.

And this is huge.

But this will only remain true if I get moving and stay active.

So let me start by thanking Robin for the kick in the butt that this prompt needs to be for me.

I say needs because it is not a given.

When I read about my fellow Crow’s Feeters I got inspired. Between María Ochoa PhD’s weight lifting, Soozie Campbell’s pole dancing and other amazing aerial arts, and Stephanie Moga’s ice skating, we have some very ambitious role models.

But wait, that’s not all. Some of you are doing aerobics, some are dancing, some are gardening, some are swimming, and while I’m out there doing my thirty-minute walk, some of you are climbing Pike’s Peak.

Go ahead, put me to shame!

But don’t stop inspiring me. This is exactly what I need — the combination of a push in the tush AKA the proverbial boot in the butt with the inspirational invitation that your examples and their stories provide.

In school, PE was my worst subject.

While friends got As in Phys Ed, and Cs in math or English, I was the polar opposite. I mean that literally. Exercise and sports left me cold.

I sucked at all of them.

I could not hit a ball with a bat to save my life. Nor could I serve a volleyball over a net. I was the last picked for teams, every time. Girls would point to me and say, “Here comes our next out.” And they’d be right.

When we weren’t up for bat they sent me to the far outfield. As far out as they could. I didn’t watch for the ball. I was a rock hound. I stared at the ground looking for quartz crystals and limestone fossils.

And if the ball ever came my way, it just went whizzing by. I ducked or jumped out of its way. I was scared of the damn thing. Even though I had no skin in the game, I was not about to let a piece of dangerous sports equipment rip off any of my precious epidermis cells.

No wonder I got failing notices in P.E.

But I got straight As in everything else. And those most likely to succeed in this and that awards. And won contests with my art and short stories.

Most of all, I loved to dance.

I studied ballet from ages 6 to 14. I performed in little recitals at school and for the Officer’s Wives Clubs on the Air Force Bases we lived on. What I lacked in physical prowess, I made up for in grace.

During high school, I branched out to International folk dancing. In college, it was modern dance, contracting and releasing my neon blue leotard-clad torso.

Over the years I’ve done liturgical dancing in church. Therapeutic dancing with visionary Anna Helpern, as well as salsa, swing, Latin, and ballroom. I became obsessed with Latin dancing and was carried away by the availability of Latino lovers. Oh, but I digress. And did.

Ballroom dancing gave me my serenity and sanity back.

I could still honor my passion but in a sober setting. My focus shifted to getting better at it. And dancing in student-teacher showcases, feeding the exhibitionist in me.

Then, in 2002, I was in a car accident.

A fairly mild one, but for some strange reason, I stopped dancing.

And stated gaining weight, and getting depressed.

Meanwhile, my posture and bones began deteriorating. Now I have two huge curves, one in my upper and one in my lower back.

Which I am determined not to allow to get any worse.

So I’m working with a physical therapist who continually updates my home exercise regime. These are boring, and a bit challenging, and I just gotta bite the bullet and do them.

So I do. Most of the time.

But what really gets me moving and a-grooving is Zumba Gold.

The gold is the senior version of a lively, but gentle aerobic workout based on Latin Dance moves. My favorite Senior Center offers a class I used to attend in person. Along with 80 plus others. Now it’s a hybrid and I attend on Zoom in the comfort of my bedroom.

With my camera off so nobody has to see how much worse I’ve gotten. Or how often I need to stop, huffing and puffing until I catch my breath.

The blessing is my body still knows how to dance salsa and cha-cha with ease and grace. I still feel the magic. Regardless of how I look from the outside, from my perspective, I’m floating and gliding across the floor. And the endorphins are pumping.

So this is my intended biweekly workout. But I don’t always make the time or remember to tune in and do it.

So I supplant this with an Essentrics workout.

What is Essentrics?

Created by a former ballerina, Miranda Edmonde-White, Essentrics is a Canadian public television show you can subscribe to online and watch whenever.

Here’s a description of the workouts from their website:

“The full-body movements in Essentrics unlock the spine by stretching and lubricating the connective tissue in your back while working the full musculoskeletal system to reverse muscular imbalances — making your spine and the rest of your body feel liberated so that you can feel great, take pleasure in doing what you love, and live your life to the fullest!”

Most episodes are set in lovely tropical locations, by the ocean, or in lush gardens on beautiful estates. With classical music or jazz playing in the background.

In addition to my back muscles, I’m strengthening my discipline muscles. That takes willingness and mindfulness. Which is why I think of this as more than a workout. It’s a spiritual practice — a commitment to my higher self as well as my physical self.

Some of the movements are awkward for me. It’s hard to keep my back straight and head up when I lean forward. Even with a mirror, it takes concentrated effort. But I’m all in, to the best of my ability.

Because I don’t want half-assed results. I want and need every blessing Essentrics offers.

What are those blessings?

More energy, less to no pain, less stress, and a more positive outlook for the future. Thanks to Eseentircs, I’m envisioning myself traveling to England to visit my niece and her family again. That’s huge.

Is that just me or is there something to this?

Turns out there is.

Higher Self Concepts.com describes the spiritual benefits of exercise.

They discuss how regular physical activity creates new blood vessels in our brains, bringing more blood there. It also triggers the creation of new neurons in the hippocampus — our memory centers. And boy do I need that memory support.

Exercising oxygenates our brain as well as our whole body. It stimulates feel-good neurochemicals like dopamine and endorphins, which help release stress and worry. Studies show these all contribute to relieving depression. Being in this optimal emotional state helps us stay grounded in spiritual values like gratitude and forgiveness when times get tough.

I need to get back into doing it every day.

When I do so, I feel so much better, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

But left to my own devices, I’ll sit here at the computer and write, Zoom, or surf the ‘net and social media all day. If I do that, when I stand up, my right hip starts talking to me, and I favor it a bit when I walk. Not quite a limp and it doesn’t really hurt, but that’s where I’m headed if I don’t pay more attention to my body.

And stay active.

Which means more than a 20-minute workout here and a 30-minute walk there. It means moving through my day, not sitting through it. It means getting up, stretching, and using my body to do things.

Things like cooking, cleaning, organizing, running (?) okay driving and walking to do errands, and all the ways I can be on my feet.

After all, the saying, sitting is the new smoking is not too far off the mark.

And that’s not the direction I really want to head in.

But it’s where I’ll be if I don’t take Nancy Peckenham’s directive, Get a Move On seriously.

So thank you, Nancy, Robin, and all you movers and shakers at Crow’s Feet and beyond. I am going to stop writing and join Miranda right now!

I just did Season 9, episode 13 for upper back strengthening and posture. Yummy! I couldn’t do it perfectly, but I did it!

Thanks to Robin James for the latest Crow’s Feet prompt:

Marilyn Flower’s a sacred fool who writes every day — fiction, poetry, and blogs — inspired by a process called SoulCollage®. She’s the author of Creative Blogging and Bucket Listers: Get Your Brave On. Follow her Sacred Foolishness or SoulCollage® for Writers, and Stay in touch!

Crows Feet Writing Prompt
Aging
Exercise
Dance
Staying Active
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