I’ve noticed that when some people hit a challenge in their life, the first thing that gets dropped is their self-care. Fitness goes out the window, bad habits creep in. They stop drinking water, taking care of themselves and everything else starts to come first again.
Why is it that fitness is always a negotiable? Maybe it’s because I had a breakdown that it feels different for me, but it’s a complete non-negotiable thing for me in my life. I always workout, like brushing my teeth. I may do shorter workouts, or one or two less the odd time, but I keep the ball rolling. This isn’t because I’m great, or more disciplined than anyone else, it’s simply because of this. I know I am my A person when I workout, instead of my B person.
What’s my A person? I’m more capable, strong, confident, healthy, better able to cope with stress, better at making decisions, I feel happier in my own skin, I’m more relaxed, I make better choices, I eat and sleep better, I can compartmentalise things better, I feel better looking in the mirror, and fit better in my clothes.
What’s my B person? Stressed out, tired, anxious, irritable, not sleeping great, clothes getting tight, can’t walk up stairs without getting out of breath, make poor choices, eat bad, low self-esteem, sluggish, low energy, no motivation.
I mean when you look at it, why would you ever drop your fitness when you’re going through a time of stress? It’s absolutely alien to me that anyone would choose Person B over Person A… And we are all Person A or B, depending on whether we exercise or not, when we’re going through a stressful time.
We’re all the same, and most of us have the same worries and fears.
When you’re feeling emotionally and mentally exhausted, that’s not the time to quit your exercise.
Here’s a few warning signs to look out for that will help you see when you’re about to hit a wall:
You can’t think clearly
You feel over-whelmed
You’re not sleeping great
You’re turning to sugar/alcohol
You’re tired all the time
You feel down
You feel anxious and you’re not sure why
You have a feeling of impending doom
You’re focusing on all the things that could go wrong
You’ve lost all motivation
You feel irritated
You feel you’re being spread too thinly
When you feel any of these things, a really great thing that can help is to actually exercise more. Exercise brings up emotion. It helps you think clearly and solve problems.
As Tony Robbins says, ‘motion creates emotion’. Which is does! When everything is chaotic in your life, when everyone wants a piece of you, exercise is the ONE thing that will be there for you. It’ll make you feel better, it’ll keep you calm and in control.
When you’re going through a rough time, you may even start to look forward to it, the one thing that’ll give you peace of mind, and instantly help you feel better. You’ll sleep better, you’ll feel more capable and in control, it’s win win.
So the next time all the balls in the air fall, everything feels too over-whelming, and you don’t know what to do, I encourage you to try it. Workout more. Put that first. Put exercise at the very top of the list. I promise you it can be exercise that will get you through it. You’ll feel so empowered and so strong.
Hope this helps,
Jessica X
