A Little Bit of Self-Love Goes A Long Way

It’s hard to stay motivated and stick to your fitness goals when life throws you a handful of burning chainsaws and expects you to juggle them. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in all the demands on our time—work obligations, kids’ activities, family responsibilities—that it might seem impossible to set time aside for yourself. And when you do have a free moment, the urge to just take a deep breath and relax (or take a nap) is often stronger than the desire to go to the gym.

But then we feel guilty for taking that nap when we really should have strapped on the gym shoes, because we know that exercise is good for us.

It becomes a vicious cycle. Exhausted by obligations, then ridden with guilt because we used the free moment we had to grab a few winks rather than a set of dumbbells.

So what do we do about it?

First, cut yourself some slack. It’s often been said that we are our own worst enemy. If a friend came to you and told you they snoozed on the sofa after a day of running errands, cleaning the house, taking the kids to soccer/hockey/baseball practice, would you give them heck for it? No, you’d tell them they probably needed that nap and that catching up on zzz’s is just as important as working out.

So why can’t we be as generous with ourselves? Sometimes a nap or just picking up a book to decompress after a hard day is just as important as exercise. It’s perfectly okay to skip a day at the gym to indulge in some other form of self-care. That doesn’t make you a bad/unmotivated/lazy person. It makes you human.

The reality for many of us, especially women and mothers, is that we take all the troubles of the world onto our shoulders. We do everything we can to make our families/spouses/children happy, often at the expense of our own self-care, but YOU ARE IMPORTANT. Constantly giving to others and not taking care of ourselves drains our energy and eventually leads to resentment. So how do we prevent this from happening?

Put yourself first. Prioritize your health and fitness goals because if you’re healthy and energized by getting enough exercise, quality sleep, and healthy meals, then you can give more to others without becoming resentful and self-critical. YOU ARE IMPORTANT. YOUR HEALTH IS IMPORTANT. Self-care does not mean you are being selfish. Do you think your family would prefer you tired, over-extended, and resentful or healthy, happy, fit, and rested? Bet they’d prefer the latter.

It’s time to stop beating yourself up. It’s time to stop expecting yourself to be all things to all people at the expense of your own physical and mental health. It’s time to let go of the unreal expectations you’ve placed on yourself and cut yourself some slack.

Take the nap if you need it (and don’t feel guilty about it!), but then hop back on the exercise bandwagon. Don’t think of exercise as a chore or a “should”. Think of it as something you do for yourself so you can be the fittest, healthiest, best you ever! Taking time for yourself isn’t selfish. It’s an exercise of self-love and compassion and YOU ARE WORTH IT.

See you at the gym!