Fitness and Self-Care go together because how can we say self-care without implanting fitness/exercise?
Self-Care is all about taking care and improving yourself. So, what better way to take care of yourself and improving yourself then by including fitness/exercise into your routine.
I included fitness into my self-care routine about 10 years ago whether it be eating healthier, exercising of some sort or even meditation. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I am going to explain why.
When we go about incorporating self-care it requires us to be taking care of ourselves through exercise. Fitness isn’t just a physical benefit, but it’s also a mental benefit. A lot of times we lack motivation and energy to implement fitness into our daily lives, but it is something we need to be more focused on trying to do.
The self-care benefits of fitness:
· Increases cardiovascular activity
· Burns calories
· Releases endorphins in the brain
· Reduces stress
· Manages depression
· Releases anger and frustrations
· Can help take your mind off problems going on
· Helps speed up metabolism
· Better sleep
· Thinking more clear
· More energy
· Improvement of cholesterol and blood pressure.
These are only a few benefits of fitness being implemented into our lives and being made part of our routine. It is proven that it takes at least 21 days to make an activity part of your lives/routine, so with summer around the corner there is no better time than now to get started.
It is ok to start off moderate and then continue to work your way up to a more intense workout regimen. Minimal exercise ideas are walking a dog around the block or walking with friends to keep you motivated. Anything to get your heart rate going and get you moving is better than nothing at all and is a start.
Most of us need to change our mindset when it comes to fitness and implementing it as part of our self-care routines. Start to look at it as something you get to do not something you have to do. Sometimes a simple change in mindset can shift your whole perspective.
It’s important while we think of self-care, we show gratitude towards our bodies. Our bodies are like a machine, such as a car. If you don’t maintain it, then at some point it wants to stop working. So, it is important to implement fitness into our self-care routines.
Always know as you start this new journey to stick to it for at least 21 days and know there will be times where you don’t feel ok, and that is perfectly ok. Pick yourself back up and start again, but the key is to never give up even if you must keep starting over.
Written by: Michelle Farris: Personal Trainer/Nutritionist
Owner of: FITopia, LLC
michellefarris.issacertifiedtrainer.com
937-301-2601