motion is lotion

In ultra running, there’s a saying:

Motion is lotion.

Cute, right?

A little corny? Maybe.

But I love this saying because it’s both true and counterintuitive.

I’ve been running more miles lately, and while my body feels strong, more miles means more tightness and stiffness.

I’ve been counteracting the stiffness with motion.

Ideally, humans should move a lot to help balance the repetitive activities and positions we engage in.

Take sitting in a chair, for instance. When you sit in a chair, your hip flexors and hamstrings contract, and you don’t have to use your core muscles at all. Sitting is just a position that the human body can assume…it’s not inherently good or bad. But sitting in a chair for hours without moving, stretching, and finding counter positions that lengthen your hip flexors, hamstrings, and engage your core…well, that can be harmful over the years.

One way to counter this would be to get up and move around periodically.

You could also sit on the floor sometimes. Sitting on the floor requires you to change positions often, and assuming different positions is mobilizing. Sitting on the floor also engages your core. While you can’t necessarily sit on the floor all of the time, doing it some of the time brings you variety and relief from sitting in a chair.

Running has taught me a lot about my body and mind. The most important lesson is that I’m capable of so much more than my mind - or body - thinks it can do.

In training for long distances, I’ll often have back-to-back long runs…for instance, I might run 24 miles on Friday and 12 on Saturday.

Initially, the idea of back-to-backs sounded wacky and masochistic.

But I’ve learned something surprising from doing back-to-back long runs. On the second day, even if my body is feeling tired and sore and tight and resisting a run…if I just get out there and start moving slowly, something beautiful happens.

I warm up. I become looser. I actually start to enjoy running. And often, my second long run is even better than my first.

What’s happening here?

Motion is lotion.

Lotion applied to skin that is dry and tight makes it soft and supple. Motion is lotion for our muscles and joints. As motion brings warmth to our body, we find more range of motion and we start to feel…dare I say…normal again, or almost.

Fluidity is not a mysterious gift that we only get when we’re young, lucky or well-rested, but something that we can practice and cultivate every day.

I’ll repeat…to be fluid, you have to cultivate it!

Doing a second long run on tired legs shows me that my body really loves to move…no matter how much it complains when I first get out of bed.

OK! So…all of this may seem like a plug to take up extreme physical challenges…but it’s not.

I believe that ‘motion is lotion’ also applies to mental and emotional health.

Mental and emotional energy is a lot like physical energy. When we get caught up in the same beliefs, thoughts, emotions and stories, we practice a rigid viewpoint of the world.

How dynamic and flexible is your viewpoint?

How often do you pause the train of your thoughts to take in other perspectives?

How often do you deliberately learn about things you’re unfamiliar with?

Or spend time with people who aren’t in your inner circle?

Or participate in an activity that’s new?

What about making something completely new for dinner? (Talking to myself here!)

Is it possible that trying new things increases you mental and emotional range of motion?

Or, how about giving yourself a mental/emotional reset through meditation? Or engaging in any activity that allows you to disconnect from the world of thoughts and just be present? Like a walk in the woods or a nearby park where you leave your phone in your pocket and just take in your surroundings?

I find the practice of journaling to be lotion for my mind. Putting pen to paper day after day, starting slowly, letting myself warm up, and writing about whatever comes gets my mental, emotional and creative juices flowing.

Even when I feel tired and grumpy and have a million other things to do and want to put it off…

Writing breaks my mental inertia. I don’t even have to write anything of quality! Just writing something initiates a flow state that lifts my mood and resets my perspective.

Motion is lotion.

We think that our bodies are solid and our minds are fixed.

But we’re not solid or fixed.

We are cells dividing and dying and regenerating.

We are thoughts that flow from one thing to the next.

We ARE motion.

YOU are motion.

This is an invitation to bring more mobility, movement and flow to your life.

Motion is lotion.

Try it out and see what happens.

Hey friend! Let’s chat. Click here to schedule a free connection call with me. And for more juicy life stuff, check out my podcast, coming home (to yourself). As always, may your week be filled with self-love and rich insights. With love, Amy ♡♡♡