Day 26 - A Functional Movement Class

Day 26 was a double gift to my body—a full upper body workout with my workout partner Cheryl, followed by an hour and a half hot functional movement class. Both were responses to the stiffness that's been slowly creeping in as my sedentary occupation keeps me sitting seven to nine hours a day, especially after morning weightlifting sessions.

I've officially shifted my workout philosophy. No longer interested in the HIIT workouts of my younger years, I'm focusing on keeping whatever strength I can with my three-day lifting routine—a far cry from my 30-year-old five-day-a-week intensity. This is how I'm aging, and I'm learning to honor what my body needs now rather than what it could handle decades ago.

My hips have gotten progressively tighter over the years, despite stretching between clients whenever possible. I've been yearning to return to yoga practice for two years but haven't followed through. I'm picky about teachers—I've been spoiled by excellent instructors trained in India, where ancient practices are woven into wellness culture. Iyengar yoga taught me that physical health is sacred work.

So I found my way back to a teacher I enjoyed seventeen years ago who has since earned her functional movement certificate. Back in my twenties, as a personal trainer, I loved Gray Cook's work—the functional movement originator. Here I was, coming full circle to honor both my history and my current needs.

After my workout with Cheryl, I drove over to class, fueling with a protein bar and electrolytes to prepare for the heat—over 100 degrees. The moment I stepped into that room, I knew this was exactly what my body had been asking for.

My shoulders, chronically tight from hours hunched over a computer, finally received the attention they'd been craving. What a gift to move them in ways they aren't used to yet were absolutely created to do. Each stretch, each strengthening hold reminded me that my body knows how to do this—it just needs the invitation.

The heat made everything more intense. My breathing, which quickens so easily, became my grounding point. When fatigue sets in, it's tempting to breathe through my mouth, but I know that's too activating for my nervous system in hot spaces. Over and over, I returned to my breath, asking my mind to focus rather than panic, allowing air to move slowly even as my heart pounded after flowing from cobra pose into downward dog.

This wasn't just a workout—it was a conversation with my aging body about what's possible, what's needed, what still works beautifully when given proper attention. The functional movements reminded me that strength and flexibility aren't opposites; they're partners in the dance of maintaining vitality as we age.

The nervous system challenge here was multifaceted: the physical intensity of heat and movement, the mental discipline of breath regulation, and the emotional work of accepting my body as it is now while still pushing its edges with love rather than force.

Driving home, shoulders looser than they'd felt in months, I felt profound gratitude for finally returning to movement that serves my current body rather than trying to force it back to what it used to be. Sometimes the most important expansion happens when we stop fighting our evolution and start honoring it.