Recently I attended a really great workshop – “Secret Women’s
Business”.
This workshop was all about honing in on skills regarding
eating and preparing nourishing food to compliment your exercise and lifestyle as
a female, alongside positive thinking and learning to change your mind set
about how you view exercise, eating habits and your thoughts in general.
Complimented with a yummy lunch and a fab yoga session, my
friend Bec and I had an awesome day!
What I felt like I got most out of this day, and the reason for
this post, was the stress we seem to put on ourselves with an “I should”
mentality.
This seemed like perfect timing for me, as I was going
through a stage with my fitness regime where I was starting to be quite hard on
myself for the things that I “should” be doing.
I should get up and go, but I don’t want to. I should go, but
I really would prefer to do this instead... etc
Sometimes, I agree that when feeling like this, the best
thing to do is to motivate yourself, and just go out and do it anyway as you’ll
feel infinitely better once its done, but I’m also discovering that if you have
an alternative that you feel you would enjoy more for that particular situation
or feeling, well, do that!
We need to start having more of an “ I get to do this” mentality
instead of “I should do this”
How is your brain and body going to willingly want to do
anything if you’re already trying to convince yourself that its such a task in
the first place? By replacing the thoughts with “I get to”, this already makes you
feel like it’s a joy and an activity to look forward to.
If you’re a dedicated exerciser, and you love your routine
like I do, but there’s some mornings you wake up and just don’t really want to
stick to that routine, I’m learning that it’s ok to just say no. Do something
instead that you feel will benefit you better for your present state of mind. Personally
I feel like I’m way too hard on myself, and missing these sessions for whatever
reason, is deemed as a personal failure and set back to the goals that i'm working towards.
It’s really not, it’s just that maybe I chose to enjoy my morning/day
in a different way. Amazing things happen if we open ourselves up to them.
As a highly organised person I think it’s a great habit to
start to test on myself, so that when things happen outside of my control, I’m not
at a loss of what to do with my lack of “routine”.
Don’t want to Crossfit your ass off at 5am? Opt for the 7am
neighbourhood walk instead.
Don’t feel like running with no end in sight out in the
cold? Go to a warm and cosy yoga class and stretch out those muscles instead.
This post doesn’t advocate pulling the plug or giving up,
but is a reminder that changing things up from your normal routine, and working
on your “I get to” mentality, can be nothing but a positive change to your
mindset and workouts.
Words: My Own
Image: Pinterest
