WHAT'S YOUR BODY TELLING YOU?
I'm not sure if any of you can identify with what I'm about to share but I have a pretty good idea that you may...
I am sometimes guilty of ignoring what my body is trying to tell me because I am 'too busy' to slow down or I have to 'do my scheduled workout' or some such nonsense. The reality is that when I slow down and allow my body the rest it needs I perform at a MUCH higher level. It's funny though how easy it is to ignore the little warning signs and when I keep ignoring them it usually results in a trip to the doctor which MAKES me slow down. The ironic thing is that if I had slowed down when I needed to it would have taken less time to get back up to full speed. It is super important to honor our commitments and to stick to our training schedule but not at the expense of our health.
There are only two times that you do NOT want to exercise. The first is if we have a fever - even a slight one and the second is if we have congestion in our chest. The second one is a bit tricky for those of us who suffer from asthma because we have congestion in our chest fairly often but if we use our inhalers 15-20 minutes before we workout we're usually fine. It's when we don't use our inhalers or ignore that we have more congestion than usual that we run into problems. Especially during certain times of the year when our allergies flare up.
If we are healthy then it is extremely important for us to consistently workout for both our physical and our mental health. Did you know that just 20 minutes of cardio exercise 3 times a week increases our ability to think clearly and creatively? I'm not talking about a little increase here I'm talking about a 40% increase. Can you afford to work at 40% below maximum capacity on a regular basis? What could you accomplish if you were able to process information and be creative by 40% more than you are today at this very moment?
But wait there's more! If you allow yourself to get 8 hours of sleep every night you have just increased your ability again! Okay, this number is even more impressive it's a whopping increase of 56%. Both of these things are completely interrelated AND have a huge impact on other areas of your life including stress reduction and an increase of energy and overall well being.
When we chose not to take care of our basic needs and we ignore what our body is trying to tell us it's like us pouring a little bit of sand in the gas tank of our car every time we get gas. It really won't do much at first but over time we will ruin our car. I challenge you to think of yourself as a Ferrari or a Porsche would you ever DREAM of putting sand in your gas tank if you were one of those types of cars? Okay, I can hear what you're saying "Ya but what if I'm a 10-year-old Toyota mini van?" Okay, so what if you are? Would you put sand in the tank then? My guess is no.
The long and the short of it is if you commit to getting at least 20 minutes of exercise 3 times a week and getting 8 hours of sleep every night you will be happier, less stressed, lose weight, have more energy, be more creative and get more done. I think that that is a pretty darn good return on your investment.
What is your body telling you today? Please listen to what it's trying to tell you because you are SO worth it!
Here's to you in Health, Wellness, and Abundance!
Jennifer Malocha CEO of Winner Circle Coaching