“EXERCISE - nope!”
I always thought I was not sporty.
Like many people I have terrible proprioception, sometimes I barely know I have a body, let alone whether it is hungry, thirsty or anywhere near the ball it is meant to catch.
Connecting with my physical self is difficult, but not connecting with my body and breath means I don’t pause and I can end up swirling in a busy mind. I also miss the opportunity to sweat out cortisol and gain some lovely endorphins. Mmmm.
It wasn’t until I was in sixth form that I realised that I could love physical activity, as long as it requires resilience (which I have in abundance) and not dexterity (oops I dropped another cup whilst I was banging into that doorframe). Why are schools so limited in their perception of ‘sport’?
I got into outdoor pursuits and discovered that I loved humping huge back packs up mountains in the rain, sleeping in a bivouac and ice-axe climbing in the Andes. Brilliant brains need exercise, they need the outdoors, and they need novelty and challenge.
It was great for my mental health and a far cry from my previous 10 years at school where I was always chosen last because I couldn’t hit a ball. When I got to university I was persuaded by a friend to try out for the rowing team, it seemed like a novelty and I had nothing better to do so I tagged along. I found that I was randomly good at that too. Able to focus on the rhythm and stay strong through pain, 5am starts and awful weather. I only stopped when my penchant for clubbing until 5am meant I kept missing training.
I recently had to give up a half-arsed running habit because of arthritis in my hip, so I am getting back to my younger self and giving the climbing wall and rowing machine a try again. Who knows what will happen but I am 100% sure I am doing it for my brain and not my body.
Don’t conform to what works for everyone else. Stay curious until you find what is right for your brain. There is so much more to exercise than getting fit or being good at chucking plastic balls around.
Helena
