As many of you well know, I am a big advocate of self-care, which happens to include regular exercise. Regular exercise? Yuck! Well, I have to tell you a little story about my own self-care which includes regular and not-so-regular exercise.
Over the past 2 or 3 years, I have been in and out of the gym using a treadmill. Then I bought a fabulous program from Susie Shina to do at home. I love her stuff!! However, if you are like me, the same exercise over and over becomes boring. I get to a point where I force myself to do it. Then I take a break from it altogether.
Earlier this year when my business began to take off, one of my first rewards for myself was to purchase my very own treadmill. At the time, I was currently “taking a break” from exercise. I was not going to the gym or doing Susie’s program. I had become bored yet again. With the purchase of the treadmill, I was excited to get back to it. I could watch TV, listen to music, and/or just get lost in my thoughts any time I wanted day or night, 7 days a week.
Guess what? That treadmill sat in the box in pieces for almost 5 months. With our busy schedules, we were too busy and sometimes too lazy to put it together. I am happy to say that changed yesterday. My husband put together my treadmill for me. After taking care of initial set up and making sure it worked properly, I was on it walking for 15 minutes. A great feeling swept over me within minutes. I truly remembered the joy of exercising. The energy boost, the elevated heartbeat, and the consistent movement felt like heaven. I truly enjoyed that 15 minutes.
This morning, I took my second run (walk) at it. Again, it felt great to be on it. In fact, I had intended to do only 10 or 15 minutes. I don’t want to overdo it right away. I ended up easing myself into a comfortable pace and working out for a full 20 minutes. Then I went out on the back deck with a glass of water. Though it was hot and humid out, I enjoyed “cooling” down outside. I feel fabulous and ready to get on with the rest of my day.
Though I am NO expert in fitness, I have to say that going with what feels right especially when it’s time to take a break, works well for me. I also feel that taking a break from exercise altogether is OK, too. Just don’t wait as long as I did. Give yourself a break every now and again so you, too, can remember the joy of exercising on a regular basis. Now get out there and take care of you!
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