Unplanned rest days (kind of rambling)

[fanofladyvols]

How did you feel today, Erica?

[donnamp]

Thinking differently and training your brain to have different thoughts is not easy and will not happen over night - there will be a lot of backsliding, like everything else, it is one day at a time - sometimes one minute at a time, but over time and w/ consistency it can be done.

Think about it this way - if your overall goal is health - running yourself into the ground or working out when injured or ill or not feeling 100% is not going to help you reach your goal

I totally understand that it is hard to change a lifetime of thinking a certain way- but w/ baby steps you can definitely make progress towards changing your thoughts/mindset. And it doesn't mean that you will not exercise or not be in shape or not be healthy or not be the best you can be - it means you will free yourself of the chains...that hold you to a certain way of thinking...and that is very liberating...

Donna

[Erica H.]

Originally Posted by fanofladyvols

How did you feel today, Erica?

Better than yesterday. Thank you!

Originally Posted by donnamp

- it means you will free yourself of the chains...that hold you to a certain way of thinking...and that is very liberating...

Donna

This is what I desperately need. I'm hopeless that it will ever really happen, though. Thank you.

Erica

[toaster]

Erica, we've talked, so I think you know my general views.

Here are a few random additional thoughts:

• It is absolutely okay to take a rest day - for ANY reason, including NO reason! Exercise is important and a great means of self-care, and still, sometimes other self-care activities are more important (e.g., getting more sleep, spending time with a loved one, going outside for a walk, reading an engrossing book, etc.).
• As a human race, we are NOT at our best right now! The prolonged pandemic is a huge struggle for even the most effective copers (is that a word?).
• I think the best thing we can do for self-care is to give ourselves PERMISSION. During the pandemic, I think the main form of permission might be to recognize that you don't have to be doing all of your "normal" things, as current circumstances are definitely not normal!

I've definitely had more unplanned off days this year. I have been working from home, which is a good thing in many ways, but one of the things I've lost is the transition time granted by my commute. My pre-pandemic routine was to exercise after work, and although I still do that, it's more challenging now, especially since my home office is also my exercise room! And I've also just found out that I am officially in menopause, which has brought a number of symptoms and in general just feeling "off" much of the time.

So, I've given myself permission to do things differently. When it was warmer, I was trying to go outside at the end of my work day, even just for 5 minutes. Now, I'll often spend that transition time snuggled up reading a novel. There are some weeks where my "exercise" consists of almost entirely gentle yoga, and there are some days when I'll have the "just do something" mindset and chose a 15-minute unweighted arms routine. I'm trying to meditate regularly as well, but I've had to flexible in that area too. I allow myself to lie down, and if I fall asleep, that's fine. I also sometimes do planned "napitate" sessions when I am tired on weekends.

As a result of all of the above, I've generally been pretty consistent with exercise...and I still have bad days. Both can be true.

[Vintage VFer]

It sounds like your anxiety is through the roof. For me, the endless Covid nightmare has magnified any stress or worries by 1,000%. Please be as kind to yourself as you would be to your best friend.

I have had luck with meditation. Meditations don't have to be for hours a day. Ten minutes is good! Toaster/Beth has some great ones on YouTube. I really like this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_G4t_OslH0


I am motivated to do something almost everyday by a "$ Per Workout Day" challenge. It does keep me going.

If all else fails I do this one in bed and I still get my dollar for the day:

Lee Holden: Qi Gong for Deep Sleep Bonus Segment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyLWf-oNJT8

[warriorprincess]

I'm coming to the end of an unscheduled rest week, as I pulled a back muscle doing yard work last week. It's really really hard to just sit around not doing anything when the weather is as amazing as it has been this last week in South Florida, but I learned my lesson the hard way about ignoring the little pains, almost exactly a year ago.

[Erica H.]

Originally Posted by toaster

Erica, we've talked, so I think you know my general views.

Here are a few random additional thoughts:

• It is absolutely okay to take a rest day - for ANY reason, including NO reason! Exercise is important and a great means of self-care, and still, sometimes other self-care activities are more important (e.g., getting more sleep, spending time with a loved one, going outside for a walk, reading an engrossing book, etc.).
• As a human race, we are NOT at our best right now! The prolonged pandemic is a huge struggle for even the most effective copers (is that a word?).
• I think the best thing we can do for self-care is to give ourselves PERMISSION. During the pandemic, I think the main form of permission might be to recognize that you don't have to be doing all of your "normal" things, as current circumstances are definitely not normal!

I've definitely had more unplanned off days this year. I have been working from home, which is a good thing in many ways, but one of the things I've lost is the transition time granted by my commute. My pre-pandemic routine was to exercise after work, and although I still do that, it's more challenging now, especially since my home office is also my exercise room! And I've also just found out that I am officially in menopause, which has brought a number of symptoms and in general just feeling "off" much of the time.

So, I've given myself permission to do things differently. When it was warmer, I was trying to go outside at the end of my work day, even just for 5 minutes. Now, I'll often spend that transition time snuggled up reading a novel. There are some weeks where my "exercise" consists of almost entirely gentle yoga, and there are some days when I'll have the "just do something" mindset and chose a 15-minute unweighted arms routine. I'm trying to meditate regularly as well, but I've had to flexible in that area too. I allow myself to lie down, and if I fall asleep, that's fine. I also sometimes do planned "napitate" sessions when I am tired on weekends.

As a result of all of the above, I've generally been pretty consistent with exercise...and I still have bad days. Both can be true.

Thank you! As always, I appreciate your generosity sharing your time, experience, thoughts, and expertise.

Originally Posted by Vintage VFer

It sounds like your anxiety is through the roof. For me, the endless Covid nightmare has magnified any stress or worries by 1,000%. Please be as kind to yourself as you would be to your best friend.

I have had luck with meditation. Meditations don't have to be for hours a day. Ten minutes is good! Toaster/Beth has some great ones on YouTube. I really like this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_G4t_OslH0


I am motivated to do something almost everyday by a "$ Per Workout Day" challenge. It does keep me going.

If all else fails I do this one in bed and I still get my dollar for the day:

Lee Holden: Qi Gong for Deep Sleep Bonus Segment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyLWf-oNJT8

Thank you! For me, not exercising just makes the anxiety worse because I panic about gaining weight. It's not so much the number on the scale or the size of my body, but I don't want to buy new clothes. That's a big fear of mine. But then I end up turning to food to soothe the fear/anxiety and panic even more about the clothes. It's just a vicious cycle!

Originally Posted by warriorprincess

I'm coming to the end of an unscheduled rest week, as I pulled a back muscle doing yard work last week. It's really really hard to just sit around not doing anything when the weather is as amazing as it has been this last week in South Florida, but I learned my lesson the hard way about ignoring the little pains, almost exactly a year ago.

Good idea to take the full rest week with a back injury. My DH has back issues and you definitely don't want to do anything to make the injury worse. Better to be safe and careful! I'm jealous of your wonderful S. FL weather right now (I grew up there!). Here in OH, we're just cold/snowy/gloomy all the time.

Erica

[toaster]

Originally Posted by Vintage VFer

I have had luck with meditation. Meditations don't have to be for hours a day. Ten minutes is good! Toaster/Beth has some great ones on YouTube. I really like this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_G4t_OslH0

Alta, I am glad you liked that one! I was asked to do something for the "Day of Kindness" my college was sponsoring. They were dedicating it to a young employee who died suddenly from a medical condition in August (I didn't know her, but she was the wife of a very well-liked person in my division). I did the actual meditation live, but I filmed that version of it from my office for anyone who couldn't attend.

Originally Posted by Erica H.

For me, not exercising just makes the anxiety worse because I panic about gaining weight. It's not so much the number on the scale or the size of my body, but I don't want to buy new clothes. That's a big fear of mine. But then I end up turning to food to soothe the fear/anxiety and panic even more about the clothes. It's just a vicious cycle!

Erica, I don't like when my clothes feel tight either, and I wouldn't want to buy new ones. But the cost of new clothes would be much cheaper than the price of my peace of mind!

Also, if you are working from home like me, I highly recommend these pants; I'm wearing them now and bought 2 pairs earlier this winter (in the heathered colors; I returned the black b/c they didn't fit the same):
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0169P8TVQ

[Erica H.]

Originally Posted by toaster

, I highly recommend these pants; I'm wearing them now and bought 2 pairs earlier this winter (in the heathered colors; I returned the black b/c they didn't fit the same):
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0169P8TVQ

Thanks for the recommendation/link. I pretty much live in leggings all year!

Erica

[star117]

Originally Posted by Erica H.

Thanks for the recommendation/link. I pretty much live in leggings all year!

Erica

Same!! Thanks for the rec!!