The concept, so simple, begins with that little ditty made famous by Romper Room -- a morning children's television program that was around when I was a child. Yes, they had television then.
Children gathered around Miss Whats-her-name and sang:
Bend and stretchPerform this once like a preschool child would do it.
Reach for the sky.
Stand on tippy-toes
Ohhhh so high.
Next time bend and stretch like a Yoga instructor. Graceful, bend and let your hand graze the floor before you straighten and reach, reach high, extend your reach, raise up on your toes, breathe, breathe, hold it, reaching for the sun, higher, reach for the universe. Feel yourself one with nature. Relax.
Cleansing breath.
Perform like a basketball player going for a lay up. Bend over that ball and then raise up to arch it into the basket....
Perform like a football player going for a block.
Perform like an elderly person carefully moving muscles she hasn't even remembered she had.
Think of others who could perform this -- role play. A chef, a gardener (take time to smell the roses), a ballerina, a cat, a horse. A cloud. How would a cloud do this?
Exercise as a meditation, a celebration, a benediction, amen.
By the time you have exhausted your imagination, you may have gotten a good workout and had a bit of fun at the same time.
Maybe tomorrow's workout could be: pretend you're a frog. Croak, hop, jump on your lily pad, jump off, jump on.... Or a horse trotting, cantering, walking backward, jumping hurdles....
You have a whole world of nature to emulate. If you are lucky enough to have a few kids around -- I bet they could add a few variations to your exercise routine.
Of course, my favorite exercise regime, one done in private with windows covered involves the soundtrack from the movie "Dirty Dancing."
I'll say no more.
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