Gimmi feedback my mermans and mermaids!
If you have specific requests, questions or concerns that you’d like to hear my 0.02 cents on, then please leave them in a comment below!
Be on the look out for my blog post tomorrow! I hope you all will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. I may have left my heart all over it ❤ sorry
PS: you are one nifty soul in a human body! I kinda sorta love you ❤
Change IS life.
That is precisely why Charles Darwin, much more eloquently than I, said exactly what he did about the “survival of fittest.” It is the species that is most adaptable to change.
This brings me to speak about perfectionism–something I have struggled with most of my life. The thing with perfectionism is that it assumes an endpoint. It pressures you to work towards some sort of destination–a concrete, tangible endpoint.
However, an endpoint, in a sense, is analogous to death. It symbolizes stagnation–a cessation of movement, an endpoint to all fluidity. Is this what we desire when we “strive for perfection”? Do we want death?
Nothing can be accomplished by NOT moving forwards. The very human body is reminiscent of this. Our breath grounds itself in movement. The automatic expansion/contraction of our ribcages, the push and pull of our diaphragm–these intricate movements create continually changing pressures, which essentially, allow us to live!
Another beautiful example is human muscles! They begin to decay once they are no longer moving. Even our cognition–the way we think–the way we recall memories is fluid. In fact, a memory is an amalgamation of different changing experiences. We combine what our eyes saw with that which our ears heard, and that with the smells, and tastes we identified with the situation to form a memory.
Fluidity–movement–these are mechanisms that are vital to existence of life. I’m beginning to think that chronic stress and existential anxiety have to do with attempting to go against this ever-changing fluidity. Perhaps depression and all of its siblings rise from attempting to contain the human spirit within a subset of rigid inflexible boundaries.
The truth is that there is nothing absolutely inflexible in life; these are life’s beloved “gray areas”. The only certain inflexible truth is death. Nothing in life lasts forever–not the “good” or “bad.” Everything changes, and resisting that universal law does not benefit any creature. Change continues to happen, with or without my permission–with or without my acceptance.
What does this all mean in terms of fitness? Fitness is movement. It is fluid, everchanging and adapting. Fitness is reflective of life. Due to its dynamic nature, it lies in perfect harmony with the universal law of change. In moving, we are changing–each step, each motion, it’s unlike the one before it. We, therefore, begin this intimate dance with the universe–reflecting and mirroring its majestic, consistently inconstant ways.
But fitness, like life, can sometimes begin to feel like a punishment. Why? I can’t answer that question without discussing some of the”rigid” boundaries we place around it: weight, BMI, body fat percentage and measurements. These are our attempts to house the discomfort that comes alongside the fact that nothing lasts. We cannot keep our “dream body” forever–unless we kill it while we have it. Our body will change. Fluctuations are normal, natural, expected, UNDENIABLE.
One day, we may have to buy a different pair of jeans. One day, our thighs may touch. One day, we may not have a six-pack, etc. But we cannot keep fearing that day, and ignore celebrating what already “is.”
Ever since I have been a child, I have always loved water. I think this is why. It’s weightless. It’s fluid, moving, changing. Like life, the more you try to fight its very nature, the deeper the water pulls you in–and before you know it, you are drowning–or at best, fighting exhaustively to stay afloat. It’s panic.
But the moment you let go–the moment, you relax, and surrender yourself to the water, you are safe. Regardless of how counterintuitive that seems, you find that you gently rise to the surface. You find yourself supported, held, and lovingly embraced in the arms of water–in the arms of fluidity–in the arms of life.
It is okay. You are okay.
“WHAT is going on with Allie/Maham!?”
“Isn’t she doing Kayla Itsines’ bikini body guide again?”
“Wait. No. I thought I saw a picture of Sophie gray’s Plyo Madness e-book on her page!”
“Yeah. She’s definitely doing the plyo madness e-book.”
“WAIT WHAT!?!?!?? she just posted a picture with Kayla’s workout!”
If you find yourself thinking those things going through my instagram, you are not alone. I would be thinking the same thing!! So what is my current fitness routine?
Well, it’s so funny that you ask that, my love, as my answer to that is: “I’m in the process of finding it out!”
As most of you know, I did Kayla Itsines’ bikini body guide! I finished all 12 weeks, and for the most part, I absolutely adored it! Consequently, after completing it, I decided to do it a second time around.
But, then, I stopped. Why?
Though her guide was a beautiful investment for my body, my mind had other ideas. To no fault of the guide, I found that I was becoming far too rigid in my thought processes regarding working out. “Robot Allie must do 1.25 hours of LISS today.” Working out became so mechanical and sterile, and frankly, I was working out far too many days!
I didn’t like that so much. So I stopped.
This brings me back, full circle, to my new years resolution I made for this year: BALANCE. The deepest parts of me know that the best results are acquired in a state of balance. I don’t know how I “know” this; I suppose it is because I FEEL it. It just feels like a state of concordant harmony would provide the most fostering environment for noticeable and DESIRED differences to appear.
How am I supposed to stay LONG and lean if I consistently keep doing high intensity exercise that causes my muscles to shorten and contract 6 days of the week?
So, I trusted my universal intuition. I actively verbalized my intention to our beloved universe.
“Like night has day, and summer has winter, I want balance. Lead me to it. I surrender to the delicate balance You maintain, and I desire to be in harmony with it.”
And, Voila! I came across Sophie Gray’s page! I loved that her workouts were only four days of the week and that she emphasized the importance of REST in her program–not just “active rest”, but really, true, “give yourself a break” rest. I tuned my attention to my mind-body-spirit connection and realized that this was a workout plan that my body AND my mind agreed upon. So, I purchased her e-book.
I’m only on week 1 so it’s a little premature to supply ya’ll with a detailed review. I will say, however, it is CHALLENGING. I cannot get through all eight rounds of the circuit YET. Consequently, I am only doing half of the rounds. To improve my cardiovascular strength, I am doing 30 minutes of moderate intensity on the treadmill/elliptical after completing the four rounds! All this in my limited 4 days.
I will keep you guys updated. I will say, however, that taking these rest days is really tough. I’m fearful that “all my hard work will go down the drain” if I allow myself 2-3 rest days instead of 1. Cognitively, I realize that this thought is distorted and inaccurate, however, emotionally, I am quite frightened.
It’s change. Change is scaryexcitingwonderfulnotsowonderful.
But my intuition has never led me astray. Where intention goes, energy flows. So, I’m currently amidst a balancing act. Meow!
Love ALWAYS!
Dearest sweet, kindhearted earthlings!
First off, I’m so delighted about starting this blog! I cannot even begin to tell you how humbled I am that even ONE of you encouraged me to start it 🙂 Thank you. The light in me honors the light in you, and it rejoices exuberantly in our sameness and oneness. Eeep!
What is this blog going to be about? Well, it’s a place where I can wildly drool over the magical, euphoric parts of life! It’s, essentially, going to be a place for me to passionately describe the journey we are all on–this beautifully frustrating journey to becoming “human.”
So, a little bit about me? I’m Maham, by name. I’m 23 years old in human years. But between you and I, I identify with the feline family far more than these homo sapiens with their weird opposable thumbs! Yuck. So who am I? Well, really, I am just consciousness. I am because I know I am. I’m an age-old soul experiencing the beauty of being encased in this lovely little 5’4 shell for a little while. Sometimes, it’s really tough remembering that my body is just a shell–that I am a SOUL with a body, and not a body with a soul. Hey, It’s a work in progress!
I don’t know too many things about “myself”, but I do know that the times that I’ve felt the most euphoric sort of happiness is when I forget about myself. What I mean is that, in those few moments, I am no longer a distinct identity that is separate from the whole world and all of its creatures. When I lose myself, I seem to find the whole universe 🙂 And, it’s so beautiful. Really.
I’m passionate about fitness because it’s where I’ve had many of those moments. So much of the pain I’ve felt has happened in movement, so it’s only natural that so much of my healing has occurred in it too.
So in summary, I love you. I have faith in you. I have all the faith in you because you are me, and I am you. I am continually inspired by the struggles each one of you endure, as each of your accomplishments serve as a testament to the strength within me.
#onelove! ❤
abidmaham 