Never leave the playground!

Have you noticed that you are a little too serious about everything as you get older?

You laugh less, you are more stuck in your ways and your catalogue of movement skills looks more like the tin man at a yoga class.

Rigid thinking, rigid body, and a serious lack of play. Like the tin man, maybe we need to be searching for a bit more heart to put into life?

The things I really loved about learning from passionate anatomy, physiology and psychology masters, was the way they could describe all of the intricate science and then inspire through fun applicable human stories. Almost parable like, definitely comedic a lot of the time,. and always with the aim of engraining ideas that are worth remembering. 

I wish to do the same thing with all of my followers and students. 

Be playful with everything in life, be light-hearted. But also balance this with some form of solid foundational thought or science. 

I do really think the purpose of life is to have FUN!

What age were you when fun was the only way of life?

We are, from the moment of birth on a course of discovery and play. The play does not seem like a chore. Challenging, yes, Frustrating at times, yes. Learning to move, roll, crawl and then walk!

From walking comes new adaptations to the world as we know it. We must adapt to every stress that life brings us. You literally become the product of your environment. Physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. 

Make your environment a playground!

This can be done with sound, colour, nature, toys, friends, and space.

If every space you create has inspiration, key motivators, love connectors, then you have a huge advantage moving towards fun.

My worst nightmare would be working in a grey office with a cubicle and spending 40 hours working for someone else telling me what to do, exhausted at the end of the day and not motivated to get to the gym or enjoy play time. (sounds like being stuck in the Matrix to me)

I can tell you my story, not expecting you to copy my environment, but to inspire you to make some changes for a better life.

Ever since I was a kid, my meditation would be space designing. My bedroom was always moved around periodically. I decided on wall colours, posters, a stereo system, and trinkets to remind me of family, and experiences. I had time (that's a weird concept as we get older?), I was happy with the simplest of pleasures. 

Outside I had a basketball hoop, and every piece of sporting equipment imaginable. I found friends to play with, I also really enjoyed time by myself. 

I have always been a fun chaser!

If I ever get to the stage where the mind starts making up stories that are not really true (this is called irrational stress), I realise that I have lost sight of my playground.

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
William Shakespeare

I surround my office at work, my reading room at home, my seated areas at work with books that inspire me. Anyone who has seen my book collections knows I study many aspects of life. In the same spaces you will always find a comedic gem. A Chuck Norris book, Mr. Men, A matrix figurine, a meme poster. Why?, Why not?.

I can put amazing music in every space I live and work in. How important is music in our lives?

From classical, to my sad playlist, to old 90's rock, or my never-ending Queen collections. 

When I ask people how often they listen to their favourite playlists, I rarely see people doing it daily.

Are you not allowed to have fun every day?. when did adults make this rule?

What about singing to your favourite tunes?. Don't you love singing?. Most people do.

Try singing right now! (yes right now), you learnt to care what everyone thinks!

You just keep on comparing yourself to others, or care too much what others think. Just remember, if your actions do no harm, and potentially uplift you, why not set some new fun habits.

Comparison is the thief of joy!

I put a pool table in my work kitchen, a foosball table in my work entrance, and obviously gym toys in every room possible. I love to put blackboards and whiteboards in as many rooms as possible for creative ideas. That's fun to me!

My adult playground is my dream childhood playground. 

If my environment matches my values, I'm a happy boy!

How about nature?. Sunrises, sunsets, trees, flowers, veggie gardens, water. 

I created a home space that ticks all of this to my desires. 

Don't let the old person in!!

Bring back the inner child. start playing constantly.

Play with conversation, play with movement, play with music, play with creative design, play with movies, play with food. 

So what about snacking on exercise?

Give yourself a chance and set up your environments for movement success.

I tell everyone to create a hang bar of sorts at home. Hanging is such an easy fun and beautifully corrective activity to do intermittently. A 20 second hang/ stretch whenever you run into the device. 

Leave bands, swiss ball, massage ball, and a yoga mat out in the main living area. 

DO NOT TUCK THINGS UNDER THE BED. 

MAKE ALL THE DAILY TOYS VISIBLE!

A new movement habit does not need to take an hour. Try the mini movement snack. Just 2 minutes throughout the day on various tasks. 

If you are a television person, stack a fun movement on to t.v time. Stretch in the adverts. Arm wrestle while the news is on (yes I built a arm wrestling table for this). 

Put on music videos and dance and sing. 

Pick one stretch that you do every time you have a shower or a spa bath. 

Walk around your gardens after each meal. Just 2minutes. (if you don't have a garden, walk around the house)

All of these mini movements add up. They all equate to calorie burning (if you care). The calculation of movement for fitness, strength and mobility can be made over the week, not necessarily the volume per session. For general population, this comes as a great relief and a very realistic positive prospect for getting healthy. 

So I even challenge you with gym training. 10 minutes at the gym is better than not getting there.

Once you have created a habit that includes the time and day, you can then work on making a realistic time frame that gives you a win. It must be fun!, and it must be attached to your goals and dream!

So when I put out my quote: "The way you do anything is the way you do everything".

If you are setting up your 3 main environments; Home, Work, Gym/ Playground, you now have to design your version of a playground within each of them. The habits within one will transfer to the others.

I want you to remember this:

TIME CANNOT BE MANAGED!

ACTIVITY MANAGEMENT IS THE KEY!

Visualise what a body looks like when they have not really moved or played with fun, passion and regular consistency. People that have left the metaphorical playground.

Now visualise a body that is always on the playground of life. 

More laughing, more moving, more healthy habits in general. The body has a flow about it. 

PLEASE, never leave the playground

Tony Small

Health Coach

SmallWONDERS Gym