|
Hey there, Reader, I went snowshoeing this past weekend with my sister and her family. We had planned this so far in advance that I had actually forgotten we were going until a few days before we left. Life has been THAT busy, but man, I am glad we made this happen!
Over the weekend, I had a lot of thoughts about family, aging, and even trying new things as we age.
โ
I wrote this piece a few days ago and would love to know your thoughts!
โ
Here we go!
So, I bought a pair of snowshoes a few years ago after realizing that downhill skiing no longer brought me joy.
โ
Instead of feeling relaxed and in the flow as I glided downhill, I felt fear and imagined all the ways I could hurt myself.
โ
๐๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐?
โ
๐๐๐ฒ๐๐.
โ
๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐?
โ
๐๐จ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ.
โ
I have been snowshoeing for a few years now, but I was thrilled when my sister decided to try it out this past weekend.
It honestly wasnโt a hard sellโsheโd stopped snowboarding for the same reason I gave up skiing: older bodies plus fear of injury.
โ
After she got fitted with the right gear, we strapped in and we were off!
โ
โ๏ธ At first, our movements were stiff, our hips a little tight, but soon, we found our rhythm.
โ
๐โโ๏ธ As we warmed up, we fell into a steady flow, moving in sync with the natural world around us.
โ
๐ฅพ Several miles later, we were tired but satisfied.
โ
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐'๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ:
โ
โฐIt feels like hiking, only better.
๐ฒ The stillness of the woods
๐พ The sight of animal tracks in the snow
๐ฌ๏ธ The crisp winter air against my face
๐ถโโ๏ธ No pressure to go fastโmove at your own pace.
โก No risk of injury from high speedsโsafe and steady movement.
โธ๏ธ You can pause when you need it and soak in the quiet beauty around you.
๐ชIt can definitely feel like a workout, but it also provides a deep sense of accomplishment and peace.
โ
๐๏ธ My sister was hooked too!
She loved it so much that after our first day, she even even bought herself her first pair of snowshoes!
She was official convert!
โ
โ
This experience reminded me of the power of trying new things.
โ
As we age, itโs easy to cling to activities we once loved, even if they no longer serve us. Sometimes, we let go of them reluctantly, fearing that what comes next wonโt bring the same joy.
โ
But hereโs the truth: embracing something new can be incredibly rewardingโboth for the body and the mind.
โ
๐ง Learning a new skill engages the brain, strengthening neural pathways and keeping us mentally sharp.
โ
๐ช Physically, trying a fresh activity challenges our bodies in new ways, helping us build strength, endurance, and balance.
โ
โ๏ธ Snowshoeing, for example, is a fantastic low-impact workout that boosts cardiovascular health while being gentle on the joints.
โ
There is beauty in being a beginner, in setting aside our expertise and embracing the process of learning with joy rather than frustration.
โ
๐ค ๐โ๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ค ๐ฆ๐๐ขโ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ฆ?
โ
โณ ๐ผ๐ ๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก โ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐?
โ
๐ ๐๐๐โ๐๐๐ ๐๐กโ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ , ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐. ๐๐ปโโ๏ธ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐๐พ๐๐ฟ
โ
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ข๐-๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ก ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ! ๐โ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฃ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ, ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ.
โ
#Snowshoeing #TryNewThings #ActiveAging #OutdoorAdventure #BeginnerMind #FitnessGoals #MindBody #EmbraceChange
|