Reflections: body, mind, and spirit... Ankle Mobility, Mindset and Gratitude
Here's what I've been doing for Body, Mind, and Spirit.
Body
More mobility drills!
This month my focus was on ankle mobility. I have spoken to my Manual Release Therapist about what he mostly commonly sees with his clients. Unequivocally it is a lack of mobility in the ankles. Health expert Mark Sisson describes it as an "epidemic of stiff ankles". Keeping in mind, mobility comes before strength.
Mark proves his point with a challenge and solutions which you can read about here
I was happy to see he recommends some of the drills I have my clients perform:
Tibialis raise
Incline calf stretch
Challenge for you:
Review Mark Sisson's ankle mobility assessment and start working on the mobility drills. This takes time and daily practice. Best time to start is now.
Mind
This month I had the opportunity to reflect upon "mindset". A while back I read a great book by Carol Deweck, Mindset. She proposes there are two types of mindset.
One is a fixed mindset that defines all of your abilities as innate and you are born with all the abilities you will need in life. Those with a fixed mindset often feel like failures happen because something is lacking within themselves.
On the other hand, people with a growth mindset feel that they can learn anything or acquire any ability if they put in enough effort. These people don’t let setbacks stop them.
Recently I was reminded of practicing the growth mindset. Last weekend I played in a golf tournament. The second day I played the worst I have played in a long while. Afterwards I got really down on myself. I should be better at this point. Why did I play so horribly? I stayed in this state for longer than I care to admit and then I stopped. I knew I needed to change my state - to have a growth mindset. I am fortunate to be able to play golf. Maybe I didn't play great but it was just ONE day - I need to continue to practice and keep going.
It further brought to my attention what my clients sometimes go through: "why can't I lift more weight today?"; "I ate really nutritious food this week, why haven't I lost more weight?"; "why is this so hard - I feel like giving up".
Which I always remind them, it is but one day - we can't have our best day every day - stick with it - believe in yourself. Whatever your circumstance, believe in yourself and keep going.
Challenge for you:
Ask yourself where in your life do you need to keep going, even if it isn't easy?
Spirit
Gratitude - I have come to the understanding that gratitude is tightly woven with perspective which I have found brings me peace. Commuting to work, I was frustrated that a construction project has begun while there is already an increase in traffic due to kids being back in school.
The increase in drive time was maddening and then I looked at it from a different lens.
We are fortunate to have good roads and that there are people who know how to repair them. The road will end up being better and thus better for vehicles, especially with the winter months approaching. A little bit of inconvenience now will be appreciated in the near future.
Intellectually we may already know that gratitude can change our state but with the true “knowing” comes great awareness and feeling of appreciation. This takes time to cultivate for most of us.
Challenge for you:
This week when you find yourself upset or frustrated at a situation or person, stop. Look at the bigger picture. Is there a different way I can think about this? What can I be grateful for in this instance?
Quote I'm pondering
“To watch the courses of the stars as if you revolved with them. To keep constantly in mind how the elements alter into one another. Thoughts like this wash off the mud of life below.” — Marcus Aurelius
To your reflection and health,
Lisa Schaffer
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See my last newsletter Body, Mind & Spirit…
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