Is there something that you used to do fitness-wise that you want to get back into? Are you hesitant or frustrated because you know you are not in as good as shape as you were then; or perhaps you think you will not remember how to do it – such as attending a weight-lifting or dance-focused class?

It is natural for our mind to think we are or want to be where we were in the past. But we may not be there. The best thing we can do is to be kind to ourselves, but to force us to build up slowly. And force us to put ourselves out there.

You may be surprised at what your body and mind remember when it comes to exercises that you used to do long ago. Be brave moving forward, but also have compassion with yourself to move at the pace your body is ready for.

Half my life ago, when I was just 18, I set out to hike the Pacific Crest Trail – across the U.S. from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. Twenty miles a day was fairly typical for me. However, then I had to take a couple of weeks off to help a family member. I returned to the trail one afternoon – about mid-day. I was so over-eager to be back on it and I hiked about 20 miles…but my body was no longer used to this. Unbeknownst to my young mind, I had actually gotten a bit out of shape (relatively) from where I had been a couple of weeks prior. This overuse resulted in essentially a sprained ankle. There was no actual rolling injury or anything similar, it was just an overuse injury; but one that required me to stop and heal and ultimately led to a series of events probably responsible for me to eventually end my hike.

I didn’t mean to go down a sad path with this…it just seemed like a good example to share from a past life when I wasn’t so good at listening to my body.