Body vs Brain

To be honest, I’ve been a bit stuck with this blog. I started writing it several times and after a paragraph, came to a grinding halt. I wanted it to mean something. I know my words are not profound, but I live by the rule that if you are going to do something, it should always be done with the intention of impacting positively on the people around you.

Last Sunday morning I was desperately seeking inspiration for this blog. I trawled through inspirational quotes in a bid to cure my writer’s block, but to no avail. I could feel the cogs
clonking slowly in my tired brain, but the usually efficient neurological factory was on shutdown.
So last night, after an absolutely mental week, it happened; the clichéd pinging light bulb moment! As I tried to write this blog for a final time, I re-read its original opening line: ‘Yesterday (Saturday)
I found myself still lying in bed at 9am.’ Lying in bed? Saturday morning? 9am? It felt as though my brain was relaying a narrative about someone else’s life.

Anyone who knows me, knows that my body is not a great fan of sleep and as a consequence, I have turned in to one of those really annoying morning people. You know, the type who has achieved a whole day’s work before 7am. Sad, I know, but not a voluntary life choice. Anyway, I thought back to last Saturday, in order to solve the mystery of the ‘lying in saga’. To begin with, I had woken up feeling pretty ropey. It was more than the usual Saturday morning exhaustion and when I tried to stand up, I suddenly realised that the room was spinning and I found myself collapsing back down in a heap. I tried once more, but I could hear my body screaming, “Are you mental? I want to lie
down!” Meanwhile, my brain, a force to be reckoned with, had to have it’s ten pence worth…
“Get up! It’s Saturday and the house needs cleaning, the children need feeding and there’s Judo club at 9! You also need to fit a run in, so look sharp!”
“Back off!” My body retorted and, for the first time in a long while, my brain backed down and my body won out.
I didn’t just sit back down, I flopped into the foetal position, pulled the covers over my aching body and just lay there. After an hour of worrying about what there was to do, I suddenly realised that the world could in fact cope without me! The children had been fed, washed, dressed and were ready for Judo and I was still lying in bed. I wasn’t the be all and end all. The world hadn’t fallen apart without me and the house was still standing!

I then sent David (POWEROFONEFITNESS® Owner and Personal Trainer) a text. He had, of course just completed a gruelling session in the gym. I confessed my ‘lie in’ in an attempt to relieve myself of the guilt and anxiety it had caused me. And when I think back to our conversation, the cure to my writer’s block lay in his wise words of wisdom.

“Listen to your body, not your brain. Resting is important too”.

So that’s what I did, I repented. I stayed in bed for most of the day. I watched a film, drifted in and out of sleep and rested my body and my mind. Did I still have a long to do list? Yes I did. And by allowing my body and mind to rest, I was able to complete the chores much more efficiently.
So I conclude today with the thought that, if we do not listen to our body in its time of need, it will not have the strength it requires to allow us to lead the happy and fulfilled lives we desire. My words may not be profound, but I leave you with some that are:
“To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” – Buddha

Jo
Friend and Client of Power of One Fitness