I believe, Self love is a prerequisite for being, having and giving your best.
And a must for nurturing self love. is having good self-care. One of my favorite and most empowering ways of taking care of myself exercising regularly and engaging in other positive movement.
So many people have a Love/Hate relationship with exercise, well actually let me restate that, it is more of a Dislike-But-force-themselves/Hate relationship to exercise. And this really saddens me, because exercise has created so much opportunity in my life.
Exercise is an opportunity to be strong and feel strong on the regular.
It is an opportunity to
- Push myself and succeed in a way that is fully empowering to my body and spirit.
- Quiet my often noisy overactive head space and get into my body space, connecting with the wisdom and strength that is within.
- Try my hand at something hard, know I will survive(????) and see that I amstronger for it.
- Be grateful. Especially for a body that works and propels me forward
- Sweat, heat up and detox. Best #detox system around!
- Relieve stress and anxiety – I can become a bit of a basket case when I don’t workout regularly (see point 2).
- Allow my inspirational muse to visit me regularly. The idea to start the Joyful Warrior movement was seeded during Yoga (I thought “I want every women to feel this strong, joyful and empowered!”) and blossomed while on the bike (the hows came about bringing it to fruition). Inspiration finds you when you stop thinking so much! (see point #2)
- Connect with like-minded people. Jim Rohn said “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with” and I absolutely believe this is true. We adopt habits, mentalities, motivation and even discouragement from the people we surround. Thank about this, if you group of friends talk about their workout plans and what they can do, it is motivating and you can see the possibilities to add it into your own life. If on the other hand, you are are wanting to add movement and exercise into your lifestyle and you are around people who are complaining about exercising and focused on their “I have no time for that” story, then you start to wonder if you have time or should take time to do it and thinking about the discomfort. If you want to change your life, start hanging around people who do or are what you want. Find your tribe
- Feel good! Exercise and positive movement creates feel good hormones to be released like Endorphins and dopamine. It also helps to regulate your serotonin and cortisol, which will help stabilization your overall mood.
- Nourish my body with healthy food. Studies show that exercise, especially vigorous exercise allows our bodies to better regulate of hunger signals…meaning that after vigorous exercise you body can better determine when you are full after consuming enough food. If I am off of my regular exercise routine, I always feel like my need to snack and graze increases. Which is partially due to this and partially due to my decreased stress/anxiety management. (see point 5)
- Feel Pride. – Pride and congratulations are amazing fuel for lighting a fire to your life and your dreams (in the best way of course) We often underestimate the power of congratulating yourself on your accomplishments big and small. and Exercise allows for more “Yay Me’s” and “well-done’s” on a regular basis!
And all this goodness must be supported by emotional goodness. You must be kind with yourself through this growth process. It’s hard sometimes, especially when we just don’t ‘have it’ that day and that is fine and totally normal (the science behind it).Or say you have been off the workout wagon for a while, you will have some catching up to do, have faith in your body that you will get there. In fact, you will get there even more quickly than you did when you first started when you fist started, it only feels like you are starting all over again, because you are comparing it to where you left off.
But it’s hard to stay committed and consistent when there is a tyrant is running the show!
Also, something that I hear all the time in workout classes and from people around me is, “come on, work hard people, so you can look good in that bikini”. Ahhh, what? Is that all we are ladies, bikini carriers? This frustrates and saddens me, looking a certain way is a benefit of exercise, but it shouldn’t be the reason, that is not very inspiring and your ambitions are worth more than that! You can look smokin’ hot in your bikini and have abs like Jillian Michaels (love her!), but if you don’t feel beautiful and worthy on the inside, you probably won’t appreciate and enjoy the way you look on the outside.
A sculpted body doesn’t heal a tattered spirit
It just doesn’t work that way. On the contrary, having a body you appreciate and feel comfortable, which can happen at any size and shape, will enhance a shiny, bright spirit. And loving yourself unconditionally will allow you to support yourself better and more fully, especially when the going gets tough!
So, Dig deep when finding your motivation (your ‘Why am I doing this?”) and move those buns, spit shine that spirit and get out there!
You will be amazed at the incredible things you can do!
I believe in you!
Now, I want to hear from you! How does exercise make you feel? What do you love about it? What makes exercise a struggle for you? What are your exercise goals? (leave comments here or on the Facebook)
XOXO,
Sally
P.S. Do you need a tribe of awesome, strong, empowered women, who are motivating themselves and each other to be their best selves every day? Then become a Joyful Warrior! Join this free Joyful Warrior Facebook group today and start thriving!
P.P.S If you need extra help, please don’t hesitate to contact me to schedule your complimentary discovery call today! Nurture yourself, mind body and soul, and find a new love yourself and your life, from the inside out!
