Your Exercise Routine: How to Thrive Through Upheavals

Your exercise routine is a key element in your self-care.

And when life gets disrupted, as it has been over recent months, staying on track with any routine is a challenge.

Indeed, self-care is often the thing that falls to the bottom of your to-do list when you’re stressed or your plans get upended.  Am I right?

Your exercise routine and your energy:

And yet, self-care is what allows you to bring optimal energy, focus, and creativity to all of your other tasks.  So, your exercise routine isn’t a luxury or an indulgence.

In fact, I encourage you to reframe all of your self-care as a personal responsibility. And taking care of your physical health is a big part of that.

If you don’t have physical energy, your mental energy is directly affected. When you feel drained or depleted, everything else begins to feel overwhelming.

This sets you up in a downward spiral that is difficult to step out of. So, how will you find time to work some exercise into your daily life?

First…

Acknowledge to yourself, and communicate to others, that this is a priority.  In doing this you are articulating a commitment.  You are also laying the groundwork for setting time boundaries, should you need to.

Second…

Settle on the time of day that is best for you, along with a number of days per week that you plan to work your exercise routine.  While I generally encourage people to “start small” when initiating new tasks or activities, in this case, I’d advise that you carve out as large a block of time as you can.  If you need to tweak your plan, it is easier to take away time than to add it, once you’ve established your schedule.

Third…

Track how the time goes, especially in the initial weeks, and make adjustments as necessary.  The ultimate goal is to have your exercise routine become embedded in your day. And it’s important to know that it takes many repetitions for that to happen.

Finally…

It’s also important to maintain your exercise routine even when you can’t make it to the gym or don’t have time for a run or bike ride. 

This can be accomplished in any number of ways as you mindfully navigate your day, for example:

• Walk to do errands when you can, don’t drive.
• Take every opportunity to climb stairs – it’s great exercise.
• Park far away from the store – rather than as close as possible.  Savor the walk.
• Take breaks from desk work and get up and stretch or walk around.  Give yourself a break every hour or so.

What other ways will you incorporate exercise into your daily routine?

Here’s more help for you:

Change is a fact of life, but do you sometimes feel like it’s coming at you too fast? Or does it pop up unexpectedly and throw all your plans awry? Well, I’d like to share a time tool that helps. no matter what kind of change you’re dealing with.

It’s titled How to Partner with Change and Aging, and to discover more about it right now, just click here: https://thetimefinder.com/partnering-with-change.html