Some weeks go better than others. We all know this, but we could consider planning for it. (No, this does not mean that we pencil in three days of hiding under the covers, or at least not necessarily.) I find that there are two questions to ask and that there is one important disclaimer when it is time to figure out what we’re going to do for fitness when things go wrong.
One question is: what’s the minimum I need to do to maintain my health? For most of us, half an hour of walking per day at a moderate pace is about right as a minimum, whether we do it all at once or in two or three chunks. We cope better with whatever the heck life is throwing us when we are healthy, so finding that half hour is worth the trouble. And then don’t think about it anymore.
The other question is: what part of my fitness activities makes me feel good? When stuff gets hard, some of us find that we need the mood-lift of cardio or the stress relief of yoga. Doing the things that help us manage our emotions and our stress when stuff gets hard is not selfish. We are giving ourselves coping tools so that we can do what needs to be done.
And the disclaimer: There are times when we don’t need to do any fitness activities at all. If we can’t find a half hour, if we don’t want to face exercise, if we just can’t do one more thing, that is all right. Fitness is not another thing to beat ourselves up with—it is there to make us happier and healthier and it will still be there when we have enough spoons to get back to it.
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