Importance of Listening to Your Body and Knowing Your Own Limits
KNOWING YOUR LIMITS
Right now, swimming across the Mississippi is probably not the smartest thing I could do. First, the only time I spend swimming is maybe a once a month dip at the community pool. I would not be able to make the distance. Second, even though I feel like I have a high cold tolerability threshold, it’s December and the wind-chill is 15 below. That’s going to make it difficult.
As much fun as a multisport, active adventure experience like PLAY it Forward Adventures is; it won’t be any fun if you have to sit on the side due to a preventable injury. One way to avoid this is by listening to your body and knowing your limits.
Now, this doesn’t mean sacrificing fun or that there won’t be any excitement. These are adventure trips after all. Let me share two examples from the PLAY it Forward Adventures trip I went on.
One of the activities we did was a long and wet downhill assault in the hilly terrain of rainy Guatemala. Some of us raced down the slopes, hugging the turn, jumping over puddles, or tearing through them. Others were not comfortable with the slickness, and were unfamiliar with mountain bikes. By going at their own pace, they were able to enjoy the ride, and have just as much fun as the rest of the group. In fact, by starting slow, one member got more and more comfortable on the bike, and by the end of the ride, was leading the pack! Had she started out in front, there probably would have been an accident, but by knowing her limits and listening to her body, she was able to have a life changing experience, going to the edge, and returning safely.
Another instance was one night when the group wanted to go out for live music and dancing. As much fun as that sounded, we had one member of our group combating the ramifications of foreign food. As much as she wanted to participate in the festivities, she knew that a lot more lay ahead and that the best thing to do was rest. A couple others stayed back, who even after only a couple of days were feeling fatigued. Sure, they didn’t get to have fun that particular night, but by resting when they needed too, the rest of the trip went great. They had energy for the volunteer activities and were able to go out later that week. Had they not listened to their bodies, they would have risked serious injury and missed out on a lot more than one night of dancing.
Play it Forward Adventures is active travel. There will be temptations to do as much as you can and to ignore what your body is telling you. When that happens, think about trying to swim the Mississippi in winter.
Nathan Worrell
PIF Sojourner, October 2008
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