Whenever I do a guest exercise class some place in the U.S – which I’ve been doing the last few years as part of a national effort to get 50+ people moving – I’ll invariably have a few 20 to 40-year old exercise addicts show up in my classes.
I’m flattered, of course, that they want to learn my system, but I’m saddened by their obvious addiction to a natural body instinct that they’ve let dominate their lives. They look, think and act like human robots without any individuality.
Hopefully they will level out and find their own balanced individual persona, which is why I welcome them, even as I hear them obsessing over how much time they should be exercising to get their heart rates to a certain level, whether they should do cardio workouts before or after weights etc,. All their questions reveal they’ve been letting the trainers and other experts fill them with an abundance of conflicting technical exercise information.
My standard answer is to spend as much time listening to their own bodies as they do the experts because after all, they’re the only ones living in their bodies. I also explain that while they’re in my class they should relax, hear the music, follow me and enjoy the movement.
I care about healthy individuality, a combination of body, mind and soul. Learn from the experts of course, but don’t let them turn you into human robots.
