{"id":10143,"date":"2021-04-12T17:16:35","date_gmt":"2021-04-12T22:16:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/priestessyourlife.com\/?p=10143"},"modified":"2021-04-12T21:31:12","modified_gmt":"2021-04-13T02:31:12","slug":"new-moon-in-aries-sustainable-activism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/priestessyourlife.com\/new-moon-in-aries-sustainable-activism\/","title":{"rendered":"New Moon in Aries: Sustainable Activism"},"content":{"rendered":"

This last week I\u2019ve taken a different tack with my running: pacing myself according to my heart rate<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

(In full disclosure, I\u2019ve hardly run at all through Winter, opting for walks instead, so I\u2019m picking up the pieces here this Spring!)<\/p>\n

The idea is pretty simple: keep your heart rate within a particular band of beats per minute. It\u2019s based on a non-traditional approach called Maximum Aerobic Function (MAF)<\/strong>, developed by Dr Phil Maffetone<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Training at a heart rate that\u2019s higher than your current fitness level adds a significant amount of stress <\/strong>on your body, increasing cortisol\/adrenaline, slowing aerobic development and increasing the risk of injuries.<\/p>\n

Who needs that, esp. in this COVID terrain, where we\u2019re living with heart-burnout<\/strong> on many levels, both literal and mertaphorical?!<\/p>\n

Absolutely no one.<\/p>\n

I love the idea, both literal and metaphorical, of pacing myself<\/strong> according to my heart. This embodied, sustainable pace feels like a true antidote to the ‘go-go-go, straight to burnout, do not pass go, do not collect $200′<\/i> story<\/strong> of mainstream culture.<\/p>\n

MAF Formula<\/strong><\/h3>\n

So, how do you know what heart rate band to work with? Here\u2019s the formula:<\/p>\n

180 minus your age<\/strong>, minus more if you are injured, unwell, inconsistent in training, on medication, have asthma, get more than two colds a year, etc (full details here<\/a><\/strong>, if you\u2019re interested).<\/p>\n

What that means for me is, I\u2019m working with a MAF of 134 (180 minus my age, 41, minus 5 for just starting\/getting back into things). So I\u2019m aiming to keep my heart rate between 124 and 134 bpm while I\u2019m running.<\/p>\n

Friend, that is SO unbelieveably slow<\/strong>! Hardly faster than a brisk walk!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m running like a grandma<\/strong>, which I think is cool, cos it means many more grandmothers could be out there running, or more to the point, giving their heart this kind of nourishing workout, whatever the pace.<\/p>\n

(This also means I have to check my ego<\/strong> at the door, as well as ignore the scoffing voice that disbelieves that any progress could be made so easefully!)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Speaking of grandmas, here’s 103-year-old Julia Hawkins<\/strong><\/a> of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, winning medals and smashing records!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Resistance & Presence<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the immediate benefits of this heart-rate-based approach \u2014 entirely separate from all the biological benefits \u2014 is that my resistance <\/strong>to physical activity is much lower. It becomes a choice or intention, rather than something I have to psych myself up for<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And this is important \u2013 it means I\u2019ve freed up some precious energy<\/strong>, which I was previous expending as either resistance, or fighting my resistance…<\/p>\n

Another benefit is, it forces me to stay present<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

Every time I start thinking of something and following an idea down the rabbit trails of my mind, I speed up and my heart rate increases! Running according to my heart makes me pay attention to my body<\/strong> and the present moment around me…<\/p>\n

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Gentle consistency = Natural Transformation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s gotten me thinking about my deep, old story that improvement requires hard work<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Because the most amazing thing about this approach is that your pace will increase over time as your heart becomes more efficient and powerful<\/strong>, simply by running at a pace that ensures maximum aerobic function.<\/p>\n

(There are caveats to this, of course, if you\u2019re not working with other \u2018levers\u2019 of health, including sleep, nutrition, stress levels, etc.)<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing hard about running my 124-134 MAF pace, except keeping myself slow enough <\/strong>(which requires awareness, not effort), and facing the weather (which, on a sunny day, isn’t hard at all!).<\/p>\n

This honestly feels like a huge rewrite of my ‘story’ \u2014 <\/strong>my beliefs about fitness \u2014 perhaps because I live with someone who thinks going for a 50-mile run<\/strong> is an adventure rather than a disaster! (This is his July plan<\/strong><\/a>!)<\/p>\n

Take Your Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Here’s another part of the rewrite: the timeframe for this transformation, this slow improvement and resourcing of the heart (with obviously profound effects on the whole body), is 3-6 months<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

This is no quick fix<\/strong>, people! I\u2019m looking at weeks of running like a grandma! 😂😂😂<\/p>\n

But the long-term benefits are significant, and include:<\/p>\n