ACT HAPPY WEEK, DAY 3: FLEXIBILITY

Use It Or Lose It

One of my favorite online fitness gurus constantly reminds students to challenge our muscles to their full range: “Muscles don’t stop working just because you age; they age because you stop working the muscles!”

As a health coach, I know that aging does show up in morning stiffness and aching joints, and a 60-year-old body is quite different from that of a 20-year-old. That said, we can stave off a lot of aging by being in touch with our bodies and keeping our muscles limber and our joints well-oiled by using them, and often.?

Get off your butt and walk. When something falls on the floor, squat to pick it up.?A friend of mine in his 70s rejected the idea of moving from his old split-level house full of stairs because he maintains that using stairs many times every day is keeping him FROM aging as fast as if he moved to a single-floor home.?

We don’t necessarily lose any of our emotional flexibility as we age… unless we stop flexing our emotional muscles. If every day you spend hours in anger and resentment, you may indeed find it harder to flex into joy.

“Muscles don’t stop working just because you age; they age because you stop working the muscles!”

Tips to remain flexible:?

• If you want to experience a full range of physical movement, move.
• If you want to keep a robust and wide range of emotions, emote.
• Turn off the news and social media feeds (which exercise your fear, anger, and sadness muscles) and spend more time with real people.
• Watch movies or binge shows that make you laugh and cry for happy.
• Read self-improvement books and experiment with new ideas.
• Finally, see the world thru a different lens. If you can’t travel, just visit your library. Read novels that take you to new lands and different times where you can experience a wider range of emotions and experiences!

Nurture Flexibility in Leadership, too.

In the Leadership domain, flex your style. Google “Situational Leadership” for a start. If your style is directive, try more coaching. If you always show up as a coach (which is lovely, except when your teams really don’t know!) you might flex into teaching mode. Show up based on what others need, not just where you are most comfortable.

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If you ever feel like you could use some support for getting where you’re going, give me a?shout.?Same applies if someone walks into your office and says, “hey, do you know a good coach?”?

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Jim Smith, PCC, is?The Executive Happiness Coach?,?a global player in the space of Executive Presence, Vitality, Team Coaching, Keynote speaking, and mentor coaching.

For more tips on Leadership, Coaching, and Happiness, visit?JimSmith.Coach?and download my report on "The Ten Terrible Habits That Undermine Leadership...and what to do about them before time runs out."

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