Get the most out of your sporting experiences and appreciate the awesome body that lets you do it. Summon your senses, splurge on some gear, spread the love, take a risk, stroll down memory lane, be a rookie, reach those goals and conduct a muscle love fest.
By Sarah J Murray
Summon Your SensesFlannery O'Connor was onto something when she made the claim that everything begins with the senses. It is our sensory awareness that has the ability to enhance every second of our day. By simply taking the time to touch, smell, see, hear and taste, we connect ourselves to all that is around us and create the richness of our reality. Too often, while we train and play, we become numb to our body's antennae and experience a cheapened version of our reality. Today while you play, choose to feel. Taste your sweat. Feel the burn. Touch a snowflake. Smell the wind. Explore. Engage. Indulge.
Splurge!Aw, c'mon! You know you've had your heart set on it for an eternity. Just do it. The kangaroo leather cleats, the sassy yoga tank, the souped-up carbon bike frame. Sometimes the sports we love demand a little cha-ching. Appease the gear goddess and treat yourself. When you complete your purchase, be sure to obsess ridiculously. Revert back to your 5-year-old self and pretend your new toy is the golden special something – just what you've always wanted! Indeed, you'll find that those pricey running shoes really DO make you run faster around your kitchen table!
Spread the LoveWhat better feeling than to give the gift of sporting seratonin to the world? Thank Goddess, there are enough good sporting vibrations to go around the world a million times. Share your energy, ecstasy and expertise with someone who will value it. Teach the neighbors kids how to toss a Frisbee. Share your favorite trail with a buddy. Challenge your Grammy to a little tennis. Take your dog out for an epic snow shoeing adventure.
Take a RiskA wildly pounding heart is soul food suited delightfully for Valentine's Day. As gals, we are socialized to play it safe. REVOLT! Get in touch with your fears and challenge them to a joust. Been in a three-mile rut for an eternity? Set out on a five-mile loop with no choice but to finish. Sacrifice your suavity and drop into the terrain park on your skis. Prefer to get wet? Surf the big waves with the boys, try a flip off the high dive. Take the plunge!
Stroll Down Memory LaneTake time to honor your personal sporting history and appreciate your athletic evolution. Read old training logs. Bust out the varsity letters and yearbooks. Shuffle through pictures of you as the big-hair baller, stylish snow bunny, electrified Jazzercizer. Laugh hard. Embrace the rivalries of yesteryear. Pay homage to the hurdles you've jumped. Relive the winning moments. Savor the taste of sweet reminiscences.
Be a RookieDo you remember the first time you linked a turn on your snowboard? How about scoring your first home run? Your debut diving header? Virgin sporting experiences are invariably a blend of masochism and euphoria. A beauty you are never too old to savor. Breach your way into a new sporting world with wide eyes and first-timer foibles. Go golfing with your Dad. Borrow a buddy's board and skate. Show up at pick-up hoops and ask to play.
Goal TendBy definition, athletes dig setting goals and laying the smack down on them. Goals are Miracle Grow for our sporting sides – the ticket to the proverbial “next level” that is always within the reach of our dreams. Commit to a gauge of success and dedicate yourself to all of the micro and macro sacrifices and celebrations that your goal demands. Vow to bike up the mountain you stare at every morning, swim across the lake and back, beat your partner in billiards, bench 100 pounds. Now believe you can do it and roll up those sleeves.
Conduct a Muscle Love FestFind a full-length mirror. Strip down to your skivvies. Put on some theme music (suggestions include Ave Maria, You Shook Me, the Peanuts theme song and Bad, Bad Leroy Brown). Now flex! Curl your biceps. Jump in the air and admire your calf muscles. Crunch your abs. Raise the roof and check out those cut shoulders. Don't be shy, sister! Your body does amazing things for you – give it the props it deserves!