Commit To Removing A Brick

Anyone who’s ever broken a bone that required casting knows the speed with which our muscles atrophy with non-use.

But, last night, it occurred to me that OUR HEART – the most powerful and important muscle in our body – is equally susceptible to that same phenomenon. Why then do so many of us insist on building brick (or, in some cases, titanium) walls around it, masking it, using substances and other unhealthy behaviors to try and numb it, and, in the process, deprive it of the “exercise” it needs to remain strong?

I’m not talking about a 5-mile run or walk, a grueling CrossFit session, or another Spin, Kickboxing, or Pilates class. I’m talking about REAL EXERCISE, the kind that can only come from experiencing the full range of emotions it was so beautifully designed to handle - love, hope, joy, sadness, passion, acceptance, rejection, empathy, compassion, disappointment, frustration, fear, loss, gratitude – to name just a few.

Want to give your heart the workout it’s been thirsting for since the day most of us first set foot in adulthood? Commit to removing just one brick this weekend, resisting the urge to reach for your numbing agent of choice the next time uncomfortable emotions starting flooding in, and allowing yourself (and your heart) instead to remember what it’s like to FEEL IT ALL – the way you (all of us) once did.

Believe me, the more “repetitions” you do the stronger you (and your heart) will get. I promise.