The time has come for some encouragement. I need it and think some others need it because we’re in the midst of a global pandemic at the moment. But shoot, I’m going to need encouragement when things go back to normal too. So here goes: 

No one knows how you’re feeling but you. Yes, there’s a lot you can push through, but realistically, one or two days of rest a week won’t negatively affect your fitness. In fact, it might improve it, especially if you’re already in shape and are starting to feel fatigued. 

If you’re not in that great of shape and are starting to feel discouraged, first of all, that’s really normal because breaking old habits and patterns is really hard, and second of all, a rest day isn’t going to hurt you either! Just try not to let one rest day turn into 5 and negate all of the great work you’ve started. Take it one day at a time, one choice at a time. Long term goals are great and necessary to keep yourself on track, but focusing on the shorter term can often help things not feel too big and overwhelming. 

For me, my main difficulty is with food. Because lots of things are terrible right now, my son and I made chocolate chip cookies today. It was a fun thing to do together, and it made our house smell amazing. And now we have approximately 145 cookies cooling in our kitchen that I’m going to have to try not to eat. If some of you have cookies on your doorstep later, it’s not out of kindness. I’m just trying to get these damn cookies out of our house. I want to be honest so I don’t have that on my conscience. 

However, I just made a choice. I had 2 oranges instead of a (ok ANOTHER) cookie. I also didn’t run today because I’m feeling really exhausted and can’t seem to shake it. Baby boy actually slept through the night, so I got a full night’s sleep, but it still seems like a good day for yoga. Like I said in an earlier post, I’ve been doing yoga videos, and while it’s not exactly the same as doing them in a class at a studio, it’s still pretty good. It’s best when I don’t have a child trying to crawl under me while I’m in downward dog, therefore making falling on him and my own head highly likely, but we all do our best, right?

Back to the encouragement, you are amazing. If you’re trying, you’re succeeding. You’re taking care of everyone else, so while taking the time to take care of yourself is hard and seems impossible, hopefully part of you sees how necessary it is and how much better your outlook can be afterward. True, sometimes workouts push you out of your comfort zone, and you finish feeling drained and more tired. But next time, it’ll be easier, and even now, the positives are still there. Maybe you accomplished something you didn’t think you could, or maybe you did something you’d never been able to do before. Your mindset and attitude are just as important as the physical work you’re doing, so give yourself some love. 

As for me, I ate some oranges today. I’m going to give myself a medal.