Find the Balance

by Leslie Aronson — April 10, 2008

I often find myself taking my workout routine and general fitness a bit too seriously. I think it's important that most people take a step back from time to time and remind themselves why they work out at all - hopefully because they enjoy it, and want to have a higher quality of life where they live longer and feel better. But when the regimen becomes so strict and unrelenting, it can feel like a job and not a hobby. I'm not saying that you should start skipping workouts or slack off on your routine, but rather add a bit of playfulness.

For instance, there are many types of yoga to choose from, be it traditional Hatha, Vinyasa, Bikram, or Anusara, to name a few. Anusara, though, allows for a little more play while in a pose. Instead of being regimentally firmly bound to the structure of a pose, Anusara allows you to move to what feels good, while still maintaining proper alignment and basic pose structure. While still a legitimately serious form of yoga, it takes a more playful turn than some of the others.

Running as a kid is (usually) distinctly different from running as an adult - the reasons are different, the form is different, and the outcome is different. Generally, as a kid you're doing it for fun and the sheer enjoyment of being in your body, whereas adults tend to see it more as a form of exercise - they might still enjoy it, but that childhood glee is usually missing. But if a little of the seriousness can be replaced by a little of the playfulness, even if only mentally, the heart and soul can stay as healthy as the body.