For instance; I have been transitioning BLGF to the Mid Town area, therefore I had 7 days OFF.
Do you think I went to a hot yoga class, took relaxing runs, did some cross training on my porch?
N.O.
Nothing
Nada
Zilch
Zip
For 7 days I have stayed up until midnight and beyond, slept in until 7:45 and did a whole lot of NOTHING in the exercise department. I also ate chocolate and granola.
That was fun. For about 4 days. Then I started to feel weaker and not as energetic. But, alas, not enough to go DO SOMETHING.
Then today hit.
Let me just sum it up by saying that I wrote "buy wife a new attitude" on Tim's grocery list. (Yes, he wrote the list but we both went shopping...don't judge me :) ) I was not kidding. He wished he could have.
Today I am refreshed in my state of remaining ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED that exercise is NOT an option for me. My family takes a sigh of relief. For the last 3 days I have been experiencing depressive moods and thoughts. Enough to shake off, but it started piling up. And, no, it is not PMS.
The last two days anxiety has been strolling down the aisle alongside depression. Then today, during Whitney's vision therapy session, I could not shake off stressing about how 'stuff' was on the floor. Did it need to be swept...well, yes, I have 4 kids. But I am a pretty tidy little girl. But I could see how a non-clinical OCD was trying to third wheel my other two aforementioned foes. By 10:00am I was in a full on GRUMPELSTILTSKIN FUNK! The kind you just cannot shake. I KNEW this morning that my non exercise streak had to end. Fast! Today I was crawling out of my skin, and I knew why! I cannot afford to not exercise. This just encourages me to be real about some of the WHYS behind why I do what I do.
Mental health, like physical health, can be a blessing, a source of life and creativity and cause you to add to those that surround you. Or...did you get that...OR it can be an unwelcome ball and chain, a driving force of stress and negativity, a rush of painful feelings. HOWEVER exercise can help manage and even reverse the dark side of stress.
If you struggle with anxiety, depression and a tendency to obsess, let me encourage you: consistent exercise can seriously CHANGE your life. It can cause you to experience peace, joy and a sense of owning your life. Today was a welcome reminder that exercise is a GIFT and I LOVE that I am able to move everyday with those I love. Come rain or shine...I will be sweating and burning it out tomorrow morning.
Can you relate? How has exercise changed your life?
