Hoping to share book recommendations, podcasts and other stuff that has helped my own weight loss journey over the last couple of years - the ones that have made a real difference. Along the way please feel free to comment and share your own recommendations so that we can make a difference together!
This was THE book that made the biggest difference last year. The Joy of Movement by Kelly McGonigal . It lead to a profound understanding of the vital importance of movement and how we need to move to thrive. I loved this book. I loved the idea of connection with each other through movement (dancing, team sports, running, walking) of the basic human need to keep moving, of movement in nature and the awesome power of connecting to the beauty of our natural surroundings by moving through it.
In the book, McGonigal shows how movement is intertwined with some of the most basic human joys, including self-expression, social connection, and mastery--and why it is a powerful antidote to the modern epidemics of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Perfect timing for these post lock down days!
For the past five years I've danced each week at my 5Rhythms class and have felt the collective joy of moving together. The class taught embodiment through feeling into the body and feeling the power of connecting to earth and grounding. We've all of us laughed, danced and cried together in this fab class and when the pandemic switched the lights out albeit temporarily, all of us felt a collective sadness in missing out on our weekly class. This book tells us why and how the power of movement draws us together and talks of the power of music to enhance our movement and our experience in life. It's a real eye opener.
This book will resonate with so many who have re-found that love of walking in nature during the pandemic. Walking the same paths each week and watching nature turn through each of the seasons has been an unexpected joy and privilege this year. The reassuring nod from nature that regardless of what we do, she will return, Spring will follow winter and Summer will soon be with us has for many , kept us going through these uncertain times.
The author also takes time to explain that movement is not dependent on body size, shape or image. That so many of us are turned off movement through childhood experience and school sports and athletics. But that is not the movement that McGonigal shares or encourages. It is far more encompassing and far greater than that.
This book goes beyond familiar arguments telling us why we must exercise, to explain why movement is integral to both our happiness and our humanity. In this way,
this book has fundamentally changed my view of sport and exercise and given me a "higher perspective" on the joy of movement.
Read this now - you won't regret it!
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