Wannabe Fitness Enthusiast

I haven’t posted a blog post in a few weeks, not that I think anyone besides myself noticed. There are a multitude of reasons for why I have drifted away from posting and those same reasons are why I am making a conscious effort to post this week.

I got up today and cried. I’m stressed, I think we all are. The pandemic, the war, life in general. While exercise and a healthier lifestyle have been my escape- I can see my motivation faltering a bit and that makes me worried.

I looked in the mirror the other day and I was sad with what I saw. I did not feel confident. I felt like I had not made any progress and I was beating myself up mentally over my recent eating habits.

I think recent events have the ability to bring out anxiety and depression even more so than normal. I’m worried for those in Ukraine, I’m worried for my family in Poland, I’m worried for our military, I’m worried for our country and what this war means for us. I’m extremely worried that my boyfriend (Jeff) will be deployed.

All of these worries have been building up and I realized I needed to take a deep breath. I called off work last week. I hardly ever call out- but I needed a day of mental rest. Cliché, I know, but my stress was manifesting into physical symptoms: migraines, irritability (ask Jeff ;)), nausea, and fatigue.

I could’ve easily slept the whole day Monday, but that would not have helped. I talked about how I was feeling, and Jeff and I decided to go to Target and buy a new air fryer. Now listen, I’m not saying the answer to your problems is to go to Target and get an air fryer- however, it couldn’t hurt.

The normalcy, and the exciting options to make new and healthier meals have helped me to bounce back a little. Sometimes we need things to distract us. I also did a short cycling class- nice and easy. I did not try to beat my personal records or push myself- I simply decided to move- I needed to move.

Movement can be so therapeutic, it can help you focus on yourself for just a few minutes. Focus on your breathing, how your body feels. Shut off the social media, shut off the news, and most importantly shut off the voice in your head that screams that you’re not good enough, or that you’re failing and you should just give up. Be kind to yourself, give yourself grace. We’re striving for progress and sustainability- not perfection and quick goals. Lifestyle changes don’t happen overnight.