Freedom.

September 25, 2007, almost 6 years ago I wrote this blog post titled "Living without Physical Restrictions"  In other words, "Freedom"!


As I was leaving Whole Foods the other day, I'm "bee-bopping" out to my car, thinking how stinkin' good my life is...feeling so stinkin' lucky about my life....feeling so stinkin' happy about myself.....taking full breaths of life... I couldn't exactly articulate to myself why. And it doesn't matter exactly why...just the fact that I feel this way is fabulous!

When I got home I started to describe to Mark how I felt, and he suggested something to me that really hit the nail on the head. I was telling him how happy and light I felt and he said, " That's because you have no physical restrictions, you can move your body how you want to." Exactly! ( thanks Honey!)


As soon as he said that, I realized that that was why.... I felt "light". Light, not only physically, but spiritually....that's happiness!



I think when you're young, and if you don't have any physical restrictions you don't appreciate it! And because you're not yet mature enough, you spend alot of time not appreciating what you do have, instead "wishing" you were thinner, your tummy was flatter, your thighs were smaller, your hair was longer, your nose smaller, not to mention wishing you had more money, had a boyfriend, had a new car, etc..THEN you could be happy! I don't have those "issues" anymore!  I appreciate not having any physical restrictions, and I don't wish for anything, really, because I know, if I don't have something I say I want then I'm the one to blame.



Because of the conditioning and strength my body gets from kettlebell training I can enjoy the movement of life, I can move my body the way I want to.



I can,

Walk as far as I want to! (even jog and do sprints on the beach)
Get up from the floor easily and squat down as deep as I need/want to!
Lift and move things easily!
Try new physical activities, like yoga, and not feel embarrassed that I might not be able to do it.
Swing a KB forever and survive an RKC! (SFG)

And how I feel about my body is,

Strong and athletic, because I know I look strong and athletic.
Beautiful, because I know I look beautiful.
Confident, knowing I can wear anything I want to wear.
Small and feminine, for the first time in my life.
And appreciation for how my body has responded to my commitment to make it work the way it wants to!  My body has been wanting to rise to this occasion of being it's best during this physical life, and I'm letting it!





I have all of this.... after being so overweight and "out of shape"for so long...how stinkin' lucky am I?


I am free.  I've been free for almost 8 years now and it feels ah-mazing!

It's not about being skinny, it's not about being rich or famous.  It's about doing what you love to do, everyday, and moving through this life without any physical restrictions.  But freedom, feeling free, no matter what your physical condition is right now is, may be, a matter of closing your eyes and wanting it and believing it.




"If one person can do it, it can be done."  -Mark Reifkind

PS in 11 days Mark will undergo a complete knee replacement.  Having suffered a complete knee dislocation as a competitive gymnast, he has been living physical restriction and pain for over 2 decades.  And because of this he always reminds me of how lucky I am.  How lucky I am to live without a physical restriction.