Hey ladies, how are you feeling?
Do you ever reminisce about your younger years when you had endless energy? I know I do! Back in my twenties, I loved lifting weights, ran all the time even though I hated running, and climbing mountains was a fun weekend activity. I would never imagine I’d be talking positively about working out less!
But then life happened
I worked a demanding job supporting execs in the DoD, I gave birth to a baby with severe medical complications, and I had a family with a teen and two dogs…not to mention a house to maintain. Oh…and a magically endless supply of dirty laundry to wash! Sound familiar?
As time passed, my workouts became less frequent, and even though I felt guilty about it, eventually they stopped happening altogether. I was a coach who stopped working out – I felt like a hypocrite. My energy levels dropped, and my skin, muscle tone, and internal happiness declined.
I knew I needed to make a change, but it wasn’t until my own coach challenged me to work out every day for a week that I finally snapped out of it. I started lifting. I started running.
This is the part where I tell you that I felt amazing! Right?
NO.
Just the opposite. I felt like I was swimming through molasses just to get through the day. I was utterly exhausted. I wasn’t enjoying my workouts and my body was struggling to keep up.
I tried everything – adjusting my nutrients, taking supplements, and working out even harder, but nothing seemed to work.
It wasn’t until I gave myself permission to slow down, rest, and nourish my body that my energy levels began to rise again.
I swapped my weight bench for a pilates reformer, took relaxing walks instead of running, and ate nourishing foods that made me feel good.
And slowly… my skin began to brighten again, my energy began to creep upward, and my body began to feel more fit and lean.
One day, on a walk, I thought it would be nice to run. So I did. To my surprise, it felt GREAT! So I started running again and I really enjoyed it.
The point of my story isn’t to say that weights or intense cardio are bad – they can be great for you!
But as women, we need to be more sensitive to the cycles in our energy. We tend to fight against them, but it’s okay to give ourselves seasons of nourishing rest. If you just had a baby, let yourself heal and give yourself lots of love. If your job is in a stressful season, Maybe consider swapping hard-core cardio with a gentle, stress-relieving yoga session.
In Western culture, it’s easy to internalize the message that more is better – harder workouts, salads, and skinless chicken breasts are praised as the healthiest options. But in reality, we should also praise ourselves for stepping back and resting when we need to.
Let’s start to encourage our girlfriends, coworkers, and family to give themselves permission to rest. To allow the Yin to balance the Yang.
So, if you’re feeling exhausted and depleted from your current routines or if you can’t imagine dragging yourself to a gym, maybe it’s time to try something new. Something nourishing. Something that makes your soul happy. For me that was pilates. What is it for you?