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Since I wrote about Off-Road-Speed-Play, from @theakiraconcept a few weeks back I ask myself, now what? What am I going to do with what I learned and the emotions I felt? Where am I going to take my runs? Do I cling to old habits and stick to the predictable and safe pavement? Should I completely change my route and run “Off-the-road” into every forest I can find in my neighbourhood?”
When something new enters your life, how do you treat it? After you learn a new way to cook eggplant, will you ditch eggplant salad for good? What do you do with the new knowledge that you have just learned? Are you going to follow it? Ignore it? Maybe a bit of both? The question, or two famous words that are asked after being exposed to a new way of doing anything is now what?
When you learn a new way of doing something, and you want to continue doing it, whatever it is, it has to speak to you. You have to feel a certain excitement in your gut that feels right. This new activity needs to make you nod your head and say “Yes, please, may I have some more. Now.”
This is how I felt after my “Off-Road-Speed-Play” session a few weeks back. So you might be thinking, now what? What did I do next?
I wanted to return to the exhilarating, energy-filled feeling that I had that Sunday morning. In the simplest terms, I was saying “Again! Again!”
The next week, I brought my daughter on the trail. The following week, my husband and I went on the trail, and then this past weekend, I went on a completely different trail but brought 3 couples with me. Throughout all of these hiking excursions, my body and brain were working simultaneously. My heart rate was up and I was strategizing where the best place to place my feet.
Best of all, I was outside, enjoying the fresh outdoor air, not to mention appreciating the beautiful fall foliage and nature that was all around me.
I always wonder if my senses would react this way, if there was no pandemic. I’ll never know.
There’s always a but. Monday is the day where I run around my neighbourhood. I listen to my tunes and I run on the pavement. Yes, cold, hard, bad for your back pavement.
@davidnewtonwellness does not like it when I run on the pavement. But I like my route and the distance that I cover.
So I do a bit of both. I run on the pavement and on the neighbourhood’s little parks that are situated between the blocks. I run around the trees and make sure my mind is not “tuned out” so I can focus and contribute to my mental health, just like I did during my previous hikes.
I know I probably made this look so easy. It wasn’t. I could have easily said “Meh… that Sunday excursion was nice. but… my beloved and lovely Peloton is just a few steps away and I’ll go on that today.” I just knew that going outside was the better choice for me. I will always have that Peloton. It will always be there, but hiking around trails may not be as accessible, once the winter months come creeping in. (More on that, in a minute!) I knew it would be best to go outside.
To make the decision to go outside on these hikes, my mind was in charge. There is a huge difference between discipline and motivation and to put it in the simplest terms, the discipline has to do with your mind. Motivation has to do with your soul, as in your emotions. It took discipline to get outside and hike, VS walking a few steps to my Peloton. I had to make the executive decision to get outside before my emotions took over and the excuses came flodding in. My mind took control and got me to where I needed to be.
I am going to need this discipline come the winter months. It is so important to get outside for our mental health and I am determined to make this happen. I bought a pair of snowshoes. They are waiting for me. I have no excuse.
Off-Road-Speed-Play. An activity that I choose to take with me wherever I go, to challenge my body and mind. To stimulate my senses. We need this now, more than ever. To dive deeper into the world of The Akira Concept, get your copy of The Akira State Workbook here.
I’m so grateful to be able to have the opportunity to write what I’m passionate about and what I think will serve others. If you would like me to write about you or for your own company, please be in touch.