Boot Camp for Balance

As part of an all-women's boot camp I've been doing my body is finally starting to feel the results. My muscles and bones support me while lifting heavy things, including throwing my 40 lb grandson on my shoulders, my posture is decent, even while sitting at a computer for hours on end, and I can run several miles without getting shin splints or a kink in my hip.

About five years ago I began noticing how hard it was becoming to do ordinary things (for me at least) without some level of difficulty. It felt like my body was giving up on me. For example, I was having a hard time making it down one ski run without several rest stops while watching my husband bounce through the mogul field. And some days I could hardly walk a basket of laundry up the stairs without my left leg buckling. These were only a few physical telltale signs that something was off.

I went through the typical scenario of going to the doc and getting checked for all sorts of things and although not hearing all positive news, I actually got to know my body really well and how to respond to its needs. For example, because I now know that I have a predisposition for hypothyroidism, I have made adjustments in diet and lifestyle to minimize, or at least prolong, the potential onset of the disorder. And I've learned that my arrhythmia can be managed by just the right amount of exercise, meditation, and dietary supplements. Before getting to this point, though, my once very healthy diet had shifted to marginally okay, my once positive mental attitude had turned inside out as I lamented to my friends and family about my job, people ...life. I even found myself in the gossip circle with certain co-workers.

Often I would look in the mirror and think, "Who is that person?" ...she looks familiar, but something seems distant, out of touch. Tears streaming, I searched in those eyes looking back at me for a glimmer of sparkle, of life, of joy only to see a look of indifference. Where did Ruthie go?

What I ultimately came to know about myself was that I'd lost any sense of balance in my overall lifestyle. I couldn't recall the last time I'd been to church, read any spiritual text, or meditated. And getting outdoors, something that gave me a deep sense of spiritual connection had been put on the back burner. I reasoned with thoughts like, I'd get back to it once I got through one more business trip, meeting, dinner with a customer, or whatever happened to be competing, and winning the battle, for my time. My diet had fallen by the wayside too. Generally, I was not in touch with what sustained me---balance. I was working way too much which included a fair amount of travel, overtime, working from home in the evenings, weekends, and even on the warm sandy beach on the islands of Maui or Kauai ...watching my husband snorkel ...alone.

Even though I've transformed my life and gotten back on track, some days it is still very challenging to sustain the balance I've found. I've come to realize that in order to reconnect with all aspects of myself—and staying connected—requires the same level of discipline as getting up at o-dark thirty for my boot camp class. Do I like crawling out of my warm bed at 4:30'ish in the morning do pushups, lunges, squats, dips, and run in the dark, cold, and sometimes rainy outdoors? Of course not. Do I like the way I feel when I'm done. Absolutely! Drawing on this deep sense of satisfaction when faced with the dread of getting up is what lures me out of bed. And the more I do it, the less dreadful it becomes.

The same holds true with fining balance. Although my attitude has had a positive shift, every now and then I am faced with a challenging situation that tests my ability to stay true to my commitment of being less reactive (to the negative event) and more proactive (taking the high road). In the heat of the moment, I've learned to recognize pretty quickly when I've succumbed to the forces of negativity and I can make a correction much sooner than before. I've learned to do this through working on my mental attitude on a daily basis. Even when, especially when, I'm in a crappy mood or someone is getting on my nerves for whatever reason, having the discipline not to react takes as much, if not more, work than my 5:30 AM boot camp. It takes a lot of mental focus to stay aware of what's working and what's not and then doing something about it. But the end result is life-changing.

If I stick to my plan of paying attention to my actions, how my body is feeling, and my overall sense of joy, I have a clue of what area I'm neglecting and where to make adjustments. If I can work to eat well at least most of the time and move my body a little every day, it responds by allowing me to play without injury or pain. If I can see beauty in all things and people, my mental attitude stays positive and my emotions are calm. If I do something like hiking, meditating, creating, dancing, or playing, my batteries are recharged. My enthusiasm for doing even the most mundane activity is then elevated, my spirit is renewed.

Paying attention to what is needed and then doing one thing to correct what's off is like having a customized boot camp for balancing mind, body, and spirit. And if we can balance these three things, we find a sense of strength to keep showing up. Just like getting up at the crack of dawn when I don't want to, the end results feel so good, I strive to do it anyway.

So, Boot Camp for Balance means to do at least one thing each day to bring all parts of your being into harmony: mind, body, and spirit.

Try this Trinity of Truth Tip: Be scared, feel like crap, have a negative attitude ...then do it anyway! Basically, do whatever it takes to show up, but do show up. Make a commitment to get there.

Every time you show up and do it anyway, despite of—IN spite of—the opposing forces, you send a powerful energetic message that YOU are in the driver's seat and are not, will not be, absolutely cannot be, controlled by forces that oppose what's best for your highest good.

When I don't show up for boot camp, the trainer will shoot an email to me and the other slackers who enjoyed a nice "lay in" ...as my girlfriend from England calls it. Like any good drill sergeant, it's just part of her job to motivate us by telling us how awesome we are and what we might be missing out on while slumbering away. She'll often include some article about how eating a certain food is good for you, or how great it really is to get up so early! And like any good drill sergeant, her nice emails are balanced with a heavy hand at times ...like the emails with a subject line "get your ASS to camp!".

Boot Camp for Balance is open to all and registration never closes. You can show up any day, any time, but do show up! Showing up, getting to the starting line, as they say, is the hardest part. Do it anyway ....Show UP! Get your ass to camp.

Trinity of Truth Tip: Intention & Gratitude

The first thing I do every morning before getting out of bed is give thanks for the rest I've received and set an intention for my day ahead. My intention begins with, "Today I am centered as I encounter each new opportunity". Then I might add something like, "Today, I have only good and positive thoughts. Today, I nurture my body. Today, I tune in with my Higher, wiser Self". Doing this sets the tone for the day and sends the message that I choose balance because I've addressed each element of the Trinity of Truth. If I give attention to mind, body, spirit—as a whole—first thing, my day is more balanced and I feel better, more satisfied, at the end of the day.

To close the day on a good note I have a similar routine upon going to bed, except instead of an intention, I state what I am grateful for that day. Basically, I count my blessings. Next, I ask for Spirit's protection as I close my eyes and place one hand on my heart and one on my belly. With one-pointed focus either at my heart center or at the point between my eyebrows, I breathe in and mentally say, "I am". I hold the breath for just a moment as I feel the energy calming my body beneath my hands and throughout my entire body. Then, I exhale, and mentally say, "peace". I keep doing this breath cycle and mantra for as long as I feel like; often it takes me into a deep and peaceful sleep. This practice is very helpful for insomnia.