FITNESS Cleaning up your inner house

CLEAN SWEEP?Your body’s ‘physical room’ is a good place to start when cleaning out your inner house. 

Cleaning up your inner house


Personal Trainer
Paul O'Brien

I never liked spring cleaning. The thought of spending any of my valuable time cleaning out the rooms of my house was pure anathema to me. I recognise the need to keep on top of things of course, but the deep sort of spring cleaning is not my thing.
That said, there is a lot to be learned in looking at the concept. Doing an overhaul on your whole life is akin to a thorough spring clean. The four rooms of your ‘inner house’ are your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. The work of rebalancing and changing your life must inevitably include a deep spring cleaning of all four of these rooms.
At this time of year, many of us choose to focus on our ‘physical room’. Getting our bodies into better shape, losing excess weight and improving general fitness levels are all high on the agenda. Cleaning out your physical room will require ditching some old habits that don’t serve you well. These can include watching too much TV, sitting too long and too often, eating the wrong foods, not exercising and more. Replacing these with positive new habits allows you to furnish your physical body and give you a fresh start.
The cleaning of your mental and emotional rooms will also involve the removal of some old furnishings, habits that have negatively affected your mindset. These may include procrastination, self-criticism, limiting beliefs, lack of motivation and direction. In their place you can introduce positive behaviours that will increase self-esteem and productivity, such as goal-setting, affirmations and actions plans. You may decide to seek coaching, therapy or the support of friends or family.
Your spiritual room can be refreshed by forging closer connections with others, working within your church or community, or by initiating a practice of daily prayer or meditation. A closer connection with nature can also be spiritually fulfilling.
Any of these areas of your life is a perfect access point to changing your life. In my own experience, physical activity has always been an important catalyst for change. My love of physical movement has helped me gain more emotional stability, a deeper appreciation of my body and mind and a closer connection with a larger group of people than would otherwise have been possible.
For these reasons particularly, I encourage others to gain access to their own inner power through the discipline of physical activity. Of course it’s not the only way but, for my money, it offers more opportunity to be ‘out there’, both in the natural world and connecting with others, than any other access point to personal change and growth. Improved physical well-being also has the advantage of tapping into the mental, emotional and spiritual realms of living. The many benefits include better concentration, improved self-esteem, greater confidence, higher motivation and a closer connection to others.
When you think about spring cleaning your life my top tip is to begin in your physical room  and work from there.

Paul O’Brien is a personal trainer and life coach based in Westport.