For me, the road to a healthy body, mind, and spirit has seen many twists and turns.
For a long time, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with exercise.
I love what exercise brings to my life. I hate starting something new. Yes, I know hate is a strong, dirty word but so is exercise (to me).
As soon as I saw the word EXERCISE on the screen as our next challenge for the blog series, I went into hibernation, refusing to look at anything that seemed remotely like exercise.
My distaste for exercise hasn’t always been like this. There have been periods in my life I have enjoyed exercise and what it brings to my life: feeling healthier, my clothes fitting nicely, great mindset, more energy, the list goes on.
However, as a result of the impact of sexual abuse there’s been a downside.
Self-sabotage…
The moment someone notices and makes a comment on how healthy/good I’m looking, the fear of being ‘seen’ comes back into focus and the self-sabotage begins.
However, this challenge was not like other challenges where you are loaded with eating and exercise plans and having to stand there mortified in your barest attire getting measurements taken for your before and after results.
This challenge was to try different forms of activities that promote a healthy mindset and bring joy to your life. Sounds fun, right?
It would be if you didn’t have all these nagging voices going on behind the scenes.
A simpler approach
Taking a simpler approach, I decided to incorporate small bursts of exercise in my daily routine.
For instance, when I was making a coffee at home or work, I would stand at the bench and do leg
raises and side twists.
I challenged myself each time with how many I could do in 2–4 min intervals.
The results are small, nevertheless they’re evident…
My jeans fit better. The shapewear I put on under my jeans and pants to smooth out the curvy bits doesn’t roll down anymore!
I can even do my bra up on the last row of eyelets.
Is that a HALLELUJAH SISTER, I hear??
Connecting with my inner self
Connecting with my inner self, I had an AHA moment. That it’s okay to engage in activities that bring me joy while also providing results I’m looking for including: no longer needing to push/punish/barter with myself about joining a gym, buying the next ‘amazing’ home exercise equipment or starting an exercise challenge.
Now, that’s liberating!
I encourage you to reflect on what kind of activities you can slowly incorporate to boost a more holistic approach to your life.
Best of luck!
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