In the Happy Calories Don’t Count world, we never exercise to lose weight. Exercise is important, but its purpose is much more profound. We exercise to tune our bodies, to achieve a state of alignment, and to clear the channel.
An important consideration of this approach is that we exercise in ways that we enjoy. And we must keep in mind that since we are always changing, the things we enjoy have the potential to change as well.
Usually, I am not a fan of working out on the treadmill. It’s just a personal thing. I generally end up feeling like a caged hamster in a wheel when I’m on one, and the time seems to drag on forever. I much prefer being outside (weather permitting), dancing around my living room with an aerobics DVD, or getting in a great Pilates workout at my studio. But when I travel, my favorite forms of exercise are often not an option.
So what do I do? I do the best that I can do. If the weather is nice I go for a walk. If there is a gym where I’m staying I use it. If I really can’t do anything at all, I try to surrender to the situation and let myself off the hook. But 99.9% of the time I do something – it’s critical to maintaining my state of alignment and to keeping my channel clear.
Last week I was traveling. The weather was lousy, so I was left to use the treadmill at the hotel gym – and I was delighted to discover that I loved it! The trip was business related and the days were long and intense. The treadmill was my only real “me” time. I found myself hypnotized by the whir of my machine and of the elliptical machine next to me. The hour flew by. When my treadmill went into auto cool down mode, I was both thrilled that my workout was over so quickly and sad that my alone time was over.
My experience was a lovely affirmation that when we come from a place of alignment, and our motivation is alignment, even activities that we have found unpleasant in the past can be a source of joy in the present.