Bodyworlds and athleticism

I went to see the Bodyworlds exhibit last Friday with April and my mother-in-law Valerie. I was really looking forward to it because I remember reading "The Agony and the Ecstasy" and learning how Michelangelo had broken into morgues so that he could dissect bodies to learn how to more accurately draw them.

Being kind of a health freak myself despite the amount of sweets I eat, I love learning about my body. I've always felt that our bodies are so incredibly capable that we should make the most use of them that we can. What a shame to waste the ability we have to walk, run, dance, etc. And what a shame that most of us don't have the freedom to be out hiking around all day.

Anyway, I absolutely loved the exhibit. Three things really stuck out the most for me. I loved seeing the development of babies and the reproductive organs of adults. Having recently had a baby I am still in awe as to how it is that their bodies grow first inside the womb and then outside. It is truly amazing.

I also loved seeing the IT band, a bundle of fibers running down the outside length of your leg. My IT band occasionally gets sore from working out and I'm forced to roll it on a hard cylindrical foam-type roller at the gym. My former yoga teacher taught me how to do this properly and I assure you it hurts like a mofo, but it gets the job done.

Most of all I was impressed by the heart, the star of the whole exhibit. What I was surprised to learn was that all hearts are not proportionately sized to the person. While most people's hearts are the size of their fist, some have abnormally large hearts (such as Lance Armstrong) and the heart can also grow with exercise. Some of the hearts shown in the exhibit were so huge I could never imagine room for them in someone's chest. It was inspiring to see how powerful the heart is and how hard it works, and also to consider what more I can do with my body.

I never did sports growing up and am not really cut out for them to be honest, my coordination is not the best, nor my strength or speed. Being an "athlete" was never something I really aspired to, I think other learning is more important. But, the more I do with my body, the more I realize how connected it is to my mind, and how disciplining one strengthens the other also. And I love the way athletes can show their excitement through their whole body!

In a history class at BYU my professor assigned a book called "Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism." I don't think Michael Jordan is the most iconic athlete of our time or the most admirable, but I love this quote of Harry Edwards' that is referenced in the book: "If I were charged with introducing an alien life form to the epitome of human potential, creativity, perseverance, and spirit, I would introduce that alien life form to Michael Jordan.”

To me, it just says that there is much more to athleticism than physical ability, and it inspires me to strive to reach my potential.

(I also noted that considering that the majority of the bodies donated to the Bodyworlds exhibit were those of old scientists, I think it quite generous of the artistic team to pose them as such incredible athletes.)