What do you do to take care of yourself? We all know, intellectually, of the importance of eating well and exercising but these can quickly become areas where we beat ourselves up. I think part of the reason is because we’ve lost our connection with ourselves. If you’re just exercising because you have to and you just want to get it over with, this isn’t a sustainable way to take care of yourself.
Simply following a prescription given by a magazine, video, or trainer without assessing whether it fits with us first means we lose interest and motivation. When we are willing to experiment and explore how our bodies feel when we engage in different activities, then we can create a method for moving our body that works best for how we work.
If you’re not a morning person, stop forcing yourself to drag yourself to the gym in the morning. Experiment with a lunch break workout or exercise in the early evening. If you hate running, try dance or martial arts or a fitness class. The key is to stay connected with you throughout the workout. How do you feel afterwards? Do you have more energy? Do you sleep better? Do you notice your body craving different foods? The routine that works is the one you stick with, the one that you bring discipline to when your motivation has left the building. This discipline comes from connecting to the outcome – knowing how you will feel afterward compared to how you will feel if you do not do it.
I recall talking to a friend years ago on the way home from work. I was tired and irritable. I told him I was debating if I wanted to go for a run or not. He asked me, ‘Have you ever regretted going for a run?’ I went for a run. He was right. I would have festered about not going when just getting out the door was exactly what I needed to dissipate my pent up negative energy.
As you think about how you would like to move your body today, consider what moves you. What activities shift your energy, elevate your spirit, and connect you back to your power? Explore and experiment to find the activities that stick to you and that you want to stick with.
Think about the person you want to be and what activities align with that desire. When you show up as the best version of you, your relationships improve, your health improves, and you attract more of what you want into your life.
It starts with your commitment to your best version of you.
How will you move today?
Wishing you joy in your exploration and curiosity in your experimentation,
Kori
P.S. There are a few spots left in my upcoming workshop where you will create your own personalized daily self and soul care practices as part of your ideal life. Register here.