This past weekend the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington D.C. was finally dedicated after an earthquake and then a hurricane wreaked havoc and delayed the much anticipated ceremony.
When President Obama spoke, he said:
“We are right to favor that slow but certain progress.”
True words on an auspicious day; a day where “freedom reigns” finally was shouted from the mountain tops. And yet Obama also reminded that work is unfinished; that were MLK there that day he would tell us that there will be setbacks; that we are human with human imperfections; and that we must continue to work toward a world that we ought to leave our to our children.
One step at a time. One person at a time. One right act at a time.
So I took a moment to imagine a world of equality where not only is the color of our skin irrelevant, but so too is our body image. Then I imagined a world in which being strong and fit are second nature, and where healthy food is delicious, not to mention fully accessible to all. Finally, I imagined tomatoes in the most hardened areas of poverty and meditation in the absolute busiest CEO office on the planet — in other words, I imagined health disparities based on income, race or gender to be abolished.
Slow but certain progress can get us there. Especially if we each start with our own dream of health. Our own bodies, families, worksites and communities – a ripple in the pond.
What are you dreams? What’s most important to you in terms of your health? Think it over and in the meantime, take one step slower to healthy with this week’s exercise from Olga:
- Observe as Olga attempts to move mountains! Just kidding, she’s using a wall for balance.
Instructions:
-
Standing close, place your hands on the wall at about the height of your waist, shoulder width apart.
-
Walk your feet back until your upper body is parallel to the floor.
-
Straighten your arms and press into the wall (as if you were going to move it forward).
-
Shift your weight to your left leg and slowly lift your right leg straight back to parallel.
-
Keep your hips even with the floor as well – avoid rotating out or twisting.
-
The idea is to work on balance while stretching the spine as long as you can, and pushing the wall away.