From time to time, you have to challenge yourself. Last year (2019) was one of my most challenging years yet! There were many life changing events that took place. From buying a new home, moving to a new city, settling into a new lifestyle and the loss of a pet. I was so busy and stressed from just adjusting; I was beginning to feel wiped out. Life's obstacles kept coming and life kept happening and I needed to keep up. "What am I going to do to get outta this funk?" I asked myself daily. Every week I worked out less and ate poorly. And every week my mind and body felt weaker and weaker. Even though I knew what would help regain my strength, I still continued to rebel. I didn't want to exercise, I was tired. I didn't want to cook healthy meals, I needed a break and domino's was up the street! I was sad, overwhelmed and too tired to even try to be healthy. Even though I knew it would make me feel better, knowing what to do didn't matter. I was stuck. I was stuck in a mood, accepting defeat...my poor food choices and lack of activity was catching up to me. I continued to feel tired, weak and too blah to pull myself up. "One day at a time". That's what people say when there's a lot of work to be done, right...? So, that's what I did. I started with one cup of tea. I prepared one large healthy meal so I could have nutritious foods to fuel my brain and body; I had leftovers for a day or two which made it easy to stick to my healthy eating goals. Feeling well and physical activity have been proven to go hand in hand. Getting outside and having fresh air is as important for mental wellness N vitality; so if you can get outdoors, do! Since my dog Tobie passed away, getting outside for daily play has pretty much been on pause. Understanding how important exercise is, I decided to start small with a few minutes of yoga, stretching and high intensity exercises to elevate my heart rate as well as my mood. It worked, of course. After a few days passed, I began to feel more stable in my mood and had more energy for my usual daily activities. Though my energy was coming back, I still felt too weak to perform like I knew I could. I grew tired much faster then I ever remembered before. I was out of breath, my muscles were weak, leaving my arms and legs shaking. I felt defeated, again. Here I was working out to feel better and I was beginning to feel weaker and defeated by my own exercise goals. I decided to stick to the goal to rebuild my strength, one day at a time.
Today, I challenged myself again: to get outdoors and push myself with no expectations. It didn't matter how much stronger I was 6 months ago and the unknown didn't matter either. The goal was to challenge myself, to at least get outside, have fun, break a sweat and push myself! Recovery to regain my strength. It was everything I expected. I showed up and the universe did everything else. Birds were singing, trees were whistling and the sun was shining. I left feeling energized, motivated and confident. That's all it takes to get momentum. Note to self: don't u ever quit on yourself, you'll never sleep again.
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