Bend With It

Flexibility In Life
Is important. Things change. Shit happens. Pleasant surprises come along. Life tends to be dynamic - and it's important to just roll with it rather than snap, no?

I find myself thinking a lot about flexibility of late. Some of you know that last week I was fraught with anxiety over a decision about jobs. "WHAT DO I DO?!?" I asked about a million times a day to anyone who I came in contact with whose opinion mattered to me. The dilemma was this: the job I have right now allows me to be extremely - you guessed it - flexible, the new job didn't come with that option. Currently, I work between two offices, so no one really knows where I am at any given time, and I can do a lot of my work from my home as long as I have my work computer(s) and my cell phone(s). I thoroughly enjoy leisurly lunches, impromptu customer meetings, site surveys, and the rest because my days aren't STRUCTURED or RIGID or TIGHTly packed with a set daily schedule. Yes, in life, I prefer flexibilty.

(and, for the record - although I accepted the other job offer against my better judgement, it ended up working out since my boss gave me a raise to stay. BOOM!)

Flexibility of Body
Now here, I have an entirely different outlook. I'm about as flexible as the wood chair I'm perched upon to write this. My muscles are tight - especially in my legs and lower back and stretching HURTS (!!!) so I generally don't do it.

Did I talk about this last year? I may have, I don't recall. Regardless, it warrants coming back to because I am trying, TRYING so very hard these days to improve my flexibility. Ok, that's a lie. I suppose I'm not really trying. But I WANT to be trying! And I WANT to be as flexible in my quads as I am in my job!!! And look all elegant and graceful and be able to do things like this:



And wanting all of that is very fine and dandy, but it's not going to make my lower back/hip woes disappear and wanting sure isn't going to make me all bendy like I want to be.

Being Flexible With the Life of My Body (or something like that)
So, in what is the most valiant attempt I've ever made towards furthering my flexibility (did you know flexibility as actually a measure of fitness?! true story. who knew?) I have started going to yoga classes. Pilates, too. Sometimes, I have even been stretching out before and after my runs! This may not seem like much, but to me it is HUGE because I've never seen my self as a mantra-chanting, birkenstock-wearing, healing-crystal wearing, "OM"ing kinda gal. I haven't seen much improvement yet, but it has to be helping right? I mean, the only way to get mo' flexible is to strech mo'. There's definitely a lot of stretching going on in yoga and pilates.

I'll try to keep you updated on the progress of my flexibility - in all facets of my being. The goal is to be able to put my palms on the floor and to eventually be so flexible and strong that I look like this:



Or this:


Or this:

(but without the ballet shoes, because we all know those dreams were thwarted long, long ago. And dancer's aren't allowed to have fat ankles) ;)

An afterthought
If any of you lovelies out there have any tips for improving my body's ability to bend, please, pass it along this way!!