You probably can, but do you think you can?

I took my mom on one of my favorite hikes upstate in Hudson Highlands State Park a couple of years ago. It’s a rocky and steep climb for the first chunk of the hike, but it wasn’t anything I didn’t think she would be able to do. About 10 minutes into the hike, I realized that she was a bit nervous, but we kept on. It didn’t occur to me to question whether or not to complete the hike because I knew the hike was completely within her physical capabilities. She took her time navigating the rocks, stepping carefully and taking pauses as needed and we took in the panoramic views and the long downhill of the latter half of the trail.

A couple days later she told me, “You believed I could do that hike more than I could.” I was surprised and heart warmed at the same time. I was surprised because I had no idea she doubted herself on the trail, heart warmed because I unknowingly nudged her confidence to complete the hike.

So many of our physical limitations are psychological. That is, we don’t think we can, or we’re told not to so we don’t, or we’re fearful. These limitations are enormously powerful and have a ripple effect on our bodies beyond the specific movements we avoid. What we choose to do with our bodies and what we choose NOT to do with our bodies creates a story about how we view ourselves in this world—after all, moving our bodies is literally how we do anything on this earth. Do we view ourselves as strong and capable? Adaptable and willing to attempt challenge? Or do we view ourselves as weak and unchanging? A “That’s just the way I am” perspective that keeps us from exploring what we can do? Our level of confidence in our body’s ability to navigate the world can greatly impact our confidence in other areas of our lives. Sometimes, we just need a little nudge.

Finding a friend who encourages you into a new physical hobby, a coach who can guide you, or a family member who sees your strengths can be just the right amount of external encouragement to get you to do something you didn’t think you could do. Then something pretty magical happens—our physical limitations might seem less obvious, less black and white. We might be more encouraged just to try and see what happens—curiosity emerges. We start to focus on all the things we can do instead of the things we can’t. Confidence builds confidence—the more you do, the more you think you can do, so the more you do. Just to be clear, actual physical limitations are very real and apply to all of us differently. I am not saying throw caution to the wind! But understanding that our mindset has a huge influence on how we decide to move our bodies gives us an option to explore other mindsets that are more encouraging with more positive effects on our health.

xoxo
keep moving