Visiting childhood

I am so lucky that I get to coach U6 soccer. After a practice or a game I feel happy. The kids have that effect on you. Even my son, who pushes his limits, makes me feel renewed somehow. Hang out with 5 and 6 year old and look at the game through their eyes. They just want to have fun. Simple, old fashioned fun in the sun. I try to make all the lessons a game. This way they have fun while learning, they probably don't even know they are learning. It really doesn't matter.
Watch the way a child runs onto the field. They have a big grin, they are using their whole bodies. They jump, spin, bounce, wave arms, hop and use other movements to express their excitement. We as adults have learned to contain and control ourselves. Watch an adult run on to a field. You will probably see an expressionless face, no hop, no bounce, no huge grin. We would look silly if we did that. Guess what, I can do all that stuff ! I am the coach and that gives me a chance to act like a kid. I can get on the ground and roll around, I can flap my arms like a bird, I can giggle and make silly faces. I can be the adult and act like a kid and no one thinks that is odd. I can run and skip and sing silly soccer songs. I am moving my body in ways that are not typical of the average adult. I feel young and happy. Its mental as well as physical.
Ever wonder why kids are so flexible. It's because they move this way and that way, they stretch and balance. They are doing static and ballistic movements frequently. I have seen kids stand on one leg and balance, just to do it. The kids will have a contest of who can do the most hops. Some have certaintly found their inner Tigger.
How many times have you heard an adult say "where do the children get all this energy?" My theory is that they enjoy moving their bodies. We need to enjoy moving ours as well. If going to the gym and getting on a treadmill is something you dread, you need to find some other form of exercising. If it feels like work to go for a run, find something else. Or you can try something new. Ask yourself, "how would a child approach this". Try that just once and I bet you will find yourself smiling.
My point is to move and exercise in a way that evokes your 'inner child'. Wake up the kid in yourself. Just once, try it.