Starting Over with a New Mindset
So, I hate working out. I don’t like gyms. And I read a book in between my first post and now that really spoke to me and helped me see things differently. It’s “How to Keep House While Drowning” by KC Davis, LPC. Everyone and their grandmother needs to read this book. It’s about making your home, your space, work for you rather than the other way around, teaching you that care tasks are not moral (you are not a bad person if you can’t wash all the dishes before you go to bed), and basically how to live a better life in your own way. It was short and sweet, to the point, specially designed for neurodivergent folks, and gave me lots of wonderful advice.
Chapter 37 was entitled “Exercise Sucks.” She speaks about how gyms and working out in an attempt to weigh less or be more attractive are no fun, and that we should be seeking out joyful movement instead of plugging away at a treadmill. She remembered how much fun she had as a youth cheerleader, on a soccer team as a kid, and dancing in clubs. And this made me think about what activities I could do that are body-strengthening and stamina-building, but enjoyable.
I’m not a sports person; the only sport in P.E. at which I was ever any good was badminton. I enjoyed a tap class I took years ago with some girlfriends, and that definitely got my heart rate pumping and was always a fun evening out. My older sister used to rock climb as a teenager, and I got dragged along on her trips to the climbing silos since Dad would belay her. It always looked cool, and I enjoyed the little six-foot-high free-climb wall they had for the kids too young to climb the silo walls in harness. I think it would be fun to find some dance classes and a rock climbing location nearby, and get a sweat on while having fun.
I don’t expect to be able to read a book while scaling a wall or dancing a double timestep. In order to not let my books fall by the wayside, I’m going to try to set aside twenty minutes a day to grab my book of the moment and hop on the little stationery bike we own that’s been sitting in the corner of our bedroom since we moved last year. This way I get some increase in physical activity daily until I find my sites for enjoyable movement. I’ll add a goal for this to my Finch app, which will almost guarantee I accomplish it. Just like everyone should read “How to Keep House While Drowning,” everyone should also download the Finch app. Best self-care app around.
