Struggling to get workouts in… like me?

Yes, I've been struggling with getting my workouts lately and I wanted to share a little about that...
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For me, not feeling motivated to workout or even exercise tends to show up when I've been too busy and burning the candle a little too much at both ends. It usually means I've been pushing myself or not getting enough rest - or enough play time. I think it's my body and brain's way of saying, "Hey, you're using up your reserves now" but I have this great override switch that I developed when I was a mom raising & homeschooling 4 kids and it lets me ignore that message way too easily. Sigh... 😬😝

Hypermobile me, in my favorite working-on-the-laptop position.

I know from experience that I need Pilates regularly and some kind of movement to keep my pain levels under control, manage my autoimmune conditions, and help me sleep better... but when my tank is running on low, exercise can be the first thing I "forget" to do for myself.

I can't always change what's going on in my life (although I will admit some of it is choices that I've made), but I have been through this cycle many times over the last few decades of being a woman.

In the past, I would beat myself up mentally about not doing my Pilates or getting in enough movement but now I just try to remind myself that this is just a season. (TRY is the key word here). Like a pendulum, sometimes life swings one way, sometimes it swings the other.

My strategy now, during this busy season, is to be ok with getting in just one workout a week. Anything I do is better than no thing, right? Doesn't have to be hard or long, just doing the basics is fine.

I also try to find ways to mix it up. If the weather's nice then maybe I'm going to opt for taking a long, hard walk. Or maybe my day's movement session will be shoveling that truckload of compost into the garden.👩‍🌾

Willpower and self-discipline take energy - physical energy & brain energy. When you're busy, you just tend to run low on those and it can make it hard to fulfill your intentions. So be realistic & compromise a bit! And maybe get creative. 

The goal with movement is about the long term, that you keep plugging away at it, not that you become an Olympic athlete. If you're using your mental & physical resources elsewhere right, it makes sense to adjust your workouts. Just do enough to stay sane, get your stress out, or stave off the guilt mindset - and trust that you'll have more reserves when this busy time settles a bit.

~ Angie :)