Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge

While doing some blog networking, I came across the Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge over on Pagan Health and Fitness. What a great idea - a spiritually focused fitness challenge to get us through the dark winter months! 

This challenge comes at a perfect time for me. Though I love winter weather, the winter months are always the most personally challenging ones for me. The days are short. Holiday stress gets me down. Year end professional organization fees, taxes and other recurring expenses loom. Family dramas ensue. Business is often a bit slower. And did I mention that the days are short? 

Yes, even a Yoga instructor, outdoor guide, backpacker and adventurer like me has tough days! I find that having goals and some form of structure helps me get through rough patches. I have an ongoing Yoga practice, spiritual community, a personal spiritual practice and plenty of active hobbies. But I like the idea of having a little boost. A bit of extra motivation. What better way than to join this challenge and tell all of you about it? 

Besides all of the good reasons to do this challenge, I really liked the author's ideas about balancing health using the five elements. As a follower of an Earth-based spiritual path, balance and the elements are integral part of my worldview.

One thing I see a lot of New Age or Pagan practitioners do is to focus on their spiritual practice while ignoring their health, home life and/or financial situation. In my opinion as a holistic health practitioner, this is a risky proposition. How can you meditate if your body hurts? How can you live a life of abundance if you don't have your finances in order? How can you have positive relationships when your emotional baggage is not sorted out? Balance. Balance is key. Each element of our lives must be reasonably healthy and in balance with the others for everything to work harmoniously.

So here we go. The challenge ends March 19. Between now and then I will post once a week on Sundays to report out on my experiences. After the challenge ends, I won't stop my practices - this is life, daily practice! As the Yoga sutras say "this practice becomes well-grounded when continued with reverent devotion and without interruption over a long period of time."

Traditional Goals and Plan

Weight

Good thing yoga pants are stretchy. I haven't weighed myself in years, but I can tell that I have put on a few eggnog and pasta pounds over the holidays. My goal is to fit into my smallest clothes comfortably.

Fitness

My goal is to be in good enough shape to begin teaching martial arts again. To be fit enough to backpack for a week at a time again. To be fit enough to do handstand pushups. My plan is to continue with Yoga and hiking, then add in martial arts training routines - all several times a week. Also, be better about my knee rehab exercises. My knees are fine when I'm in good shape, but I have patellar tracking syndrome. That just means that I have to keep my quadriceps balanced in order to have good knee health. I get slack about it sometimes. Also, more archery.

Diet

My goal is to eat clean 90% of the time. I eat pretty healthy most of the time, but certainly was off track over the holidays. It's gotten better again now, but I need to stay on top of it. To me, this means: plenty of fruits & vegetables, avoid processed foods, lots of water, low amounts of dairy, reasonable portions of healthy meats, very low sugar and plenty of whole grains. I will save splurging on snack food, rich food, sugary drinks and desserts for holiday celebrations and one day a week of reasonable cheating. I will pack healthy snacks to stave off any low blood sugar incidents.

5 Elements Goals

Air

Air rules the intellect, communication and of course, breathing. My plan is to practice pranayama (yogic breathing exercises) every day, to continue my intellectual studies and set healthy personal & work boundaries. I will also incorporate more chanting into my practice.

Fire

Fire rules strength, passion, will and the creative force (qi, ki, prana). My plan is to continue my daily Yoga practice, and also attend at least one challenging weekly group class. I will exercise my creativity with writing, art and music. I will play music in public once each month. I will continue to pursue my passions with gusto!

Water

Water rules the emotions and our intuition. My plan is to listen to my intuition, honor and accept my emotions, honor the yogic principles, continue my personal healing work and of course, stay well hydrated. I also pledge to spend more time on the water this year!

Earth

Earth rules our bodies. To me, honoring the element of Earth is caring for the temple of my body each and every day. That means getting enough sleep, eating mindfully, wearing fun clothes that make me feel good, practicing safe body mechanics while working, receiving regular massage therapy, and getting routine healthcare. I also have a goal of incorporating more Ayurvedic daily practices into my regime (more on that later).

Spirit

Spirit is the element that binds everything together. Spirit is the energy that animates us and connects all beings to one another. My plan is to continue my spiritual practice and to continue to integrate a spiritual awareness into all aspects of life. I will continue my daily practices of Yoga, meditation, gratitude and morning devotionals.

So there you have it. Looking at the list, it seems pretty ambitious. On the other hand, it also looks a lot like my normal life! Care to join me, anyone?