Safety While On The Run

I tried the gym, but it was sort of like adding a bloody carcass to a shark feeding area and saying, “Don’t touch.” No matter what boundary, amount of disinterested focus, attitude or whatever technique I drew upon for the day, the sharks kept coming and the mental work out became a bigger price than the benefits of the physical workout.  Plan B, exercise outside the gym or in my room.  Playing workout DVD’s is good and there are a lot of choices, but I hunger for the outer world too. Plan C, the strategy has been to start the work out early, before “the world” is too alive, but late enough that there is light arising.  Having lived and traveled internationally a fair amount, there is a window of opportunity for walking, running, etc. that intuitively feels safe as a woman, but as a woman there is never an absolute.  Yes, the extra radar awareness needs to be turned on when moving through areas that are unfamiliar. Walking with purpose and a sense of presence (not the look at me, here I come type) are all ingredients for body language, setting an intention, and a tone for business. I have found there are usually others out exercising too even if they aren’t strategizing about safety.

Another benefit of starting early, you feel satisfied and fulfilled to start the day with something precious to your state of being. Check mark by the “you are important and I value my state of well being.”  The activity takes the “edge off,” but also invigorates me for a place of inner calmness, problem solving with less ego attachment, and a sense of ease in the body structure.  On a personal note, I love the light of the morning and watching what starts to unfold as the master painter adds light and shade to what was in darkness–the magic of light.

Is this possible for everyone, all of the time–probably not, but the share is regarding exercise and safety while living and traveling in foreign places. Are there places in the world that woman don’t have to consider there personal safety?  Maybe, but since i have grown up with some need for awareness, that hard wiring is a part of me and I need to respect it.  Friends and family may be shocked to hear me concede this point, since I am the warrior type, but the gang raping situation in India and the distorted individuals who are opportunistic and without moral boundaries worldwide means I need to look out for me without losing all freedom.  A balancing act, but one to be honored.