U.S. MILITARY H BOOK EXCERPT 14TH OF A SERIES

THE RESILIENT WARRIOR

PURPOSEFUL MOVEMENT

BY KATE HENDRICKS THOMAS

Book Editor's Note: Featuring self-help, mental health, and mind and body tactics from a variety of sources — veterans, former and active U.S. Marines, Navy, Army Rangers, Green Berets, family members and caretakers — The Resilient Warrior is collaborative collection providing needed wisdom for complete well-being for all of us. The first step to thriving is surviving, and the first step to surviving is knowing how to get what you need, when you need it. The following excerpt of this essential self-help guide to living a healthy, resilient, fulfilled and better life is the fourteenth in a series that EP Magazine has featured over the last several months.

Mindful movement creates opportunities for mastery, experience, and a platform from which to build physical stability. When we talk about caring for our physical body, we often emphasize movement, movement offthe-couch, movement!

Yet balance is one of the most important things a person can plan into a training calendar. The physical practices that offer us stress reduction and a return to homeostatic balance are beneficial in a myriad of ways. It cannot all be about raising our heart rate and shrinking a derriere. Those things are fine, but balanced physical self-care with a keen focus on regulating an overstimulated nervous system must become priorities to anyone looking to cultivate resilience.

Here is the good news – there is more than one way to do this. You have the freedom to figure out which activities work best

for your personality, resources, and preferences. Trying out mindful movement practices, and learning from the pros who teach them is my favorite hobby. For me, the most relaxing physical practice available, changes based on what is happening in my life. There have been times when the answer was trail running, yoga, swimming, or rowing. The fun part is trying new options, with an eye towards what you should be feeling, and deciding if it is a practice that is bringing you into balance. Remember: healthy practices are not abusive. When it is a balancing activity, you will feel yourself exerting, but still peaceful. You will sleep a bit better; you may notice your mind slow down a bit.

You'll pay attention to your body in new ways. "Hey!' you'll think. 'I just noticed how much tighter my left hip is than my right! I wonder if I should spend some time stretching that side more?" Self-care of this sort also provides a level of mental fitness training that can hone focus, improve performance, and increase resilience. Such training involves purposeful movement that brings attentive focus to the physical body and the racing mind. This attention trains the body in both a challeng-