I like to workout, at least most of the time. I find that it gives me energy and makes me feel good about myself. But sometimes I treat my workout schedule like it’s the only thing between me and a life of morbid obesity and type 2 diabetes.
I find that my mood is directly connected to whether or not I worked out, not because of healthy endorphins but from guilt. I mentally berate myself when I haven’t had time or energy to exercise, regardless of any other healthy choices I might be making. Or worse, I make poor eating choices, feeling I can justify it because I did a workout that day.
Being a member of Fit2B Studio has been such an important step in my process of building a lifestyle of fitness. Because, yes, it makes it easier to work out every day, but the things I’ve learned from Beth Learn about how to incorporate fitness into my life, have been even more valuable. (Check out the Beth in Real Life videos for tons of examples of how to incorporate fitness into your daily routine).
The Goal of Fitness is to Make Me Strong Enough for my Life, Not the Other Way Around
There have been times when I got up early and worked out hard and was then so tired I wanted to crawl back in bed. That isn’t healthy! Exercise will make us a bit fatigued, yes, and we should feel the effort. But it should not produce deep exhaustion that leaves me unable to start my day. When I allow that to happen, I’ve missed the point. I exercise because I need to be strong enough to do things around the house, to play with my kids, dance and teach classes, and hopefully live to see my kids grow up. (I know this isn’t a guarantee.)
Strong is the New Skinny
Skinny is not a realistic goal, just like weight loss alone is not a sustainable goal. Because both are subjective and involve way too many variables. But strength and endurance can be measured. How do your weight lifting goals in fitness apply to your actual life? Can you carry the groceries or your kids or the bags of soil easier and further than you could before (especially while using proper alignment and good core strength?) That is what really matters. Sure, I’d love to fit into the jeans I wore before I had kids, but I couldn’t have carried my toddler the equivalent of two to three city blogs back then. Now I need to do that sometimes, so that is my focus.
Rest Can Be as Important as Exercise
Sometimes I get up early to exercise, other times I sleep in. I’m learning to honor the rhythms of my body, including my cycle. If I’m up late with a sick child, I don’t attempt to get up early to exercise. If I’ve had a hard week, I try to choose gentle or relaxing workouts rather than push myself too hard or abandon working out altogether. BUT there are definitely times when going to bed early or taking a relaxing bath before bed are just as healthy as exercise. We need to recognize our bodies’ needs including the need for rest. Sleep is not laziness, it is a necessary nutrient for life.
I have given myself permission not to work out everyday. Because some days I take my kids to the zoo and walk around for two hours, lift the 35 lb toddler up to see various exhibits and then carry him screaming to the far end of the parking lot when it’s time to leave. Or I haul 12 bags of soil from the home improvement store and then four of those bags up the steep hill behind my house. I dig holes with a slightly less than adequate shovel for the trees I’d always dreamed of having. I haul the heavy hose up the hill to water those dreamy trees. I unload groceries, making four trips up and down my front steps in the process.
My life, when I’m living it the way I want, is filled with physical activity. Sometimes I do all of those things and still workout. Other times the work wins over the workout. But the workouts themselves are what is making me strong enough for the life I want. I couldn’t have hauled all those bags of soil by myself (with the help of my rather freakishly strong 6 year old, but still) a year ago. But last winter I started lifting weights with the goal of getting stronger and it’s working.
I have struggled to refocus my fitness goals. In the past it’s always been about losing weight, but now that really isn’t the case any more. I’d still like to fit into my jeans and not have to keep buying bigger sizes year after year, but I also want to be strong. To carry the bags of groceries, or soil or the non-compliant toddler. I know I probably won’t ever fully break my need to keep an eye on the number on the scale, but I am working towards more realistic health and fitness goals that lead to a real, sustainable healthy life.
If you are overwhelmed and don’t know where to start: I have two recommendations. If you just want to dip your toes in, I suggest trying the Foundational 5+ course. This will give you some of the best Fit2B has to offer with less of a commitment and without the pressure of a monthly membership. But if you are one of those people who prefers to go big or go home, do the Annual or Premium Membership. You get so many resources for your money and I love that over the course of a year, I get so much out of being a member. You won’t regret it!
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