The big move!
My boys seem to like their new home!
A fitness plan should compliment your life, not take away from it. That was very true this past week as I moved into my very first farm.
I spent the last seven days lifting boxes and furniture, long days on the road, cleaning pastures, fixing fences, and just in general stressing out about the move. However, I was very thankful that I maintain a fitness plan as I had the strength to lift the heavy stuff, the endurance for the long days, and the practice of taking time for my own mental health. Showing up regularly and doing the hard things had prepared me for the things I needed to do.
I often hear people say they dont want to work out or eat nutritious food because they “just want to enjoy life.”
Well I tell you what, I want to enjoy life too!
But what does that enjoyment look like? It looks like being able to ride my horses. It looks like being able to handle the big life swings and challenges. It looks like picking something challenging and exciting and having the confidence to know I can make it happen. It looks like being able to do this for many more years and even late into my life. I know that in order to make all this happen I need to practice self care in the form of exercise, healthcare and better nutrition habits. Putting the work in now is an investment into myself.
That is one of the main reasons I became a personal trainer and founded Ride Like an Athlete. I want to empower riders to treat themselves as well as they treat their horses and invest in themselves. I want them to see how all the little choices we make in our day add up both in our riding and in every other aspect of our lives.
Back to my move, it felt good to cash in this investment that I made. Yes I was tired at the end of each day and yes, I would occasionally notice muscles that are underused, but for the most part I felt pretty good.
The last thing that I want to leave you with here is that I didn’t actually do my workouts while we were moving and that is OK!
I treated moving like I would treat a race… its the execution of my training. I tapered down the week before and let the moving itself be the main attraction.
I know a lot of us deal with guilt around not working out when things get hard, but we have to look at the big picture. Our bodies can only handle so much stress be it physical or mental. At some point even positive stress (such as exercising with the intention to gain muscle or endurance) turns negative and lead us to overtraining. Overtraining is not limited just to your time in the gym, its all your life facets factoring into your body’s ability to recover from the activities you are asking it to perform.
When considering your workout routine, look at all the sources of stress in your life. Take the ebbs and flows in your life into account and allow your program to ebb and flow with it. If your workout is wearing you out, try cutting it down - try an intensity reduction first, then duration, then frequency. Try your best to keep frequency because the act of showing up is a true gift to our mind.
If you are feeling good, go with it and use that good energy to invest in your body so it is ready next time a challenge is thrown your way and treat that challenge the same way you would a race or major performance - cash in that investment!