Sometimes an ice bath is worth it

A couple Saturdays ago Dave and I were driving around the city and I started asking him Yes/No questions. According to Human Design it’s a strategy that works well to help Generators and Manifesting Generators clarify what their inner wisdom/soul/higher self REALLY wants...

Sometimes an Ice Bath is Worth It

A couple Saturdays ago Dave and I were driving around the city and I started asking him Yes/No questions.

According to Human Design it’s a strategy that works well to help Generators and Manifesting Generators clarify what their inner wisdom/soul/higher self REALLY wants.

I’m a Manifesting Generator for sure and we’re guessing Dave is too, though we can’t know for sure because we don’t know his birth time.

I’m always looking for stolen moments that might shine the light of clarity on the path of our lives - and help me get to know Dave better at the same time. It’s rare that I’ll voluntarily choose to just drive and listen to music - much to Dave’s chagrin, and to my detriment at times, to be honest.

Anyway, one of the questions I asked him in this round was “Do you want to run a half-marathon this year.” He got a very clear YES from his body — and he was shocked by it.

I’d brought up the possibility about a month prior after talking with some of his friends who we’re running one in the fall, but he said “maybe a 10k, not a half.” That was his reasonable brain talking evidently, because his body answered differently.

And he and I have both learned to pay attention to that zing of knowing when it hits.

For me, it’s a REALLY unrealistic goal. I wasn’t even able to keep training for a 5k the last time I tried. And I have complicated feet that already have some pain in them. But as I journaled and wrote, “maybe I should just do the 10K” I heard in my head, “That’s fine, but you have the capacity to do the half.”

So that was the end of it. We signed up and paid.

When I visited a physical therapist a few days ago, to make sure it wasn’t injurious for me to run given my foot issues, he came near to saying “you can’t run a half marathon in October.”

Maybe it is impossible.

Kinda like building a world that runs on Love instead of sacrifice and violence. Kinda like continuing down this road of building a business without the security of either of us having jobs as back up.

But we both felt clear messages from our bodies and souls to head in this direction.

So, we’re taking one step at a time.

I’m already experiencing so many benefits, and so many obstacles. You will hear about them over the next few weeks and months for sure. I’m milking this challenge for all the metaphorical wisdom it has for us.

Today’s tip is - Sometimes an ice bath is worth it.

OR when discomfort is in service of healing it’s totally worth it.

Despite all the benefits people share about cold plunges and cold showers and diving into cold lakes, I have never been a fan. I’m still not. But I have now taken, not one, but TWO 5 minute ice baths - not fully submerged, just legs and hips in the water. But still. VERY UNCOMFORTABLE

Why? Because I heard from a few reliable sources that when you’ve asked your muscles to do really hard things, an ice bath can help support a quicker recovery.

So I tried it. And felt an immediate relief of the ache in my hips and the back of my legs.

I also felt energized and ready for my next run 2 days later.

For today, I invite you into discomfort, not to show how tough you are and not perpetual sacrifice. In fact, your next step into discomfort might be to choose NOT to do the sacrificial thing and do something nourishing and joy-filled instead.

Yikes! Here. We. Go.

My second ice bath was this morning and despite feeling terrible from my run and PT yesterday AND having had great results from the one I did on Sunday, I was not planning on trying it. But then my friend Sara (who I’d recommended an ice bath to a few days prior) asked if I’d taken an ice bath yet. I cursed her. And myself for having told her about it. And then got in there. I feel better.

So here’s a bonus tip: We all need to be surrounded by people who are so committed to our ACTUAL THRIVING that they will say the hard things and help us remember why we want to do the hard things - in support of something bigger, something Love wants to do in and through us. Do you have those people in your life?