I would get a lot of other things done if I didn’t workout.
Especially at the times I usually workout – 6 a.m., when my creativity for work and writing are peaked, and 2 p.m., when my energy is up and I feel like “doing.”
If I didn’t workout in the morning, maybe I would be a successful writer, get more sleep, or write more blog posts.
If I didn’t workout on the days I workout in the afternoon, maybe I would bake bread, put away the laundry, or finally assemble that shelf.
But probably not. And even if I did do those things, none of those things are as consistently important to me as my fitness.
But that’s the fight we have in the moment, isn’t it? The overwhelm and the ‘shoulds’ take us away from ourselves and our commitment to ourselves – our commitment to mental and physical health and to a pain-free body.
You may feel a sense of accomplishment from assembling the shelf, cleaning the house, or putting away the laundry. But a sense of accomplishment is different from showing up for yourself.
A sense of accomplishment or productivity comes from a place of fear and feeds your ego; showing up for yourself comes from a place of love, because you value yourself. It is a form of self-care.
As I write these words, I am kneeling on the floor of my home gym. I interrupted my workout to write this because I knew I had to get these words down in this moment. I am not afraid of my workout being cut short or missed because I know there will be another, and another after that, and another after that.
It is like any other relationship – the more you show up for yourself, the more you trust yourself to show up for yourself the next time, and then you don’t have to be afraid.
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