I have a client who is going through a very stressful time in her life – so many things are going wrong and most of it is completely out of her control. I saw her for the first time in weeks and to my absolute joy she has been keeping up with her aerobic exercise and working out several times a week. Normally, exercise would have been the first thing to go when things get stressful. So many of us do this – “I just need to get through this and then I will get back on track” – is a common thought when life gets nuts.
She was telling me how at first she resisted going to the gym, but then realized how much better she felt every time she worked out – a 30 minute workout session can make a big difference.
So many of us look at exercise as this tool to get healthier, lose weight or feel better, but what we should all figure out is how much exercise do we need just to maintain our mental and physical health?
I asked my client, “How many days a week does you need to exercise just to keep sane right now?” and she responded with, “More than four days – but less than seven.” A simple statement, but a huge breakthrough. She realized that if she takes two days off from exercise she feels off- more stressed and just not on track. You have to find out what works for you to keep you well.
Many of you might be stressing just reading this thinking that now you have to go workout everyday and it has to be a gut wrenching, sweat dripping, heart pounding session – that is not at all what I am referring to. Maybe you need to walk for 20 minutes in the middle of the day? Maybe a yoga and stretch session? Maybe you do need the heart pounding – feeling like you are going to throw up session once a week? Or never at all? I don’t know – only you do. What do you need to keep you feeling good? What makes you feel good? How can you fit that in to your day?
Call me, email me and lets figure it out. Take advantage of all the useful workouts online, on your phone, at your local club or the beautiful outdoors. Lets make it work for you. All of you can do this.
No matter how insane things are right now – lets get you on track to taking care of yourself. Trust me, it feels so good!