Text-ercise....

Exercise is sacred to me. The hour or so I spend moving my body is not only a necessity but a privilege. I am so grateful that I can take time each day to clear my mind, build muscles, get my circulation going, massage my heart and then enjoy a soothing warm shower afterwards. I go to a pretty amazing gym here in NYC. The instructors are awesome and the energy at this gym sets members up for great results. A good workout is valuable. You've heard it - "If you're healthy, you're wealthy." "Your health is your life!" So, I am always so puzzled and I even get a bit disturbed when I see someone at the gym either in a class or on a machine and they're texting! The other day I was in a toning class. We were all standing in the splits - ready to hinge at the hips and stretch into a blissful forward bend. I couldn't wait to dig into my hamstrings and hip adductors. I drew in a deep nourishing breath and went forward and so did the girl in front of me but when she reached her hands to the floor she grabbed her phone and started texting! Wow. I wonder if she considered taking in a long relaxing inhale? The next day I was in a Spinning class. The instructor is inspiring. He really motivates us to give our max so we achieve results. We were in the middle of pedaling up an incline, the music was pumping and the instructor was cheering us on to make it to the top of the hill. Then the girl in front of me to my right grabs her phone and starts texting! What? I've seen her do this every time I see her in class. She must be really important. Don't get me wrong maybe she is in real demand. I actually feel bad for her that she is so in demand and can't take 45 minutes for herself. The worst was a few weeks back when I saw a woman running on the treadmill and when she went for her phone to text the phone slipped out of her hand and landed on the belt and hopped away, yes the cell phone hopped away...that was actually comedy but luckily she didn't fall either. Actually, now that I think of it the entire situation could have been far worse than a hopping cell phone...

People can do what they want, watch television while making love, text while working out whatever floats your boat I guess... but I think texting while working out is not only rude to the instructor but also a good way to set yourself up for failure and injury.
I have a quote written down in one of my journals from one of my Yoga teacher trainings. 'The healthier your body is: the easier it is to focus, memorize, learn and tackle your problems.'
If you don't leave that cell phone in your locker and commit to wholeheartedly focusing on making your mind and body healthy, you won't be able to tackle whatever is on the other end of that mobile phone...

Om....