Life is hectic. Add running a business, being married, having a kid or two to look after, aging parents and oh, yeah a social life to the mix and that means there’s very little time to focus on you. I know, it sounds selfish but if you don’t take care of you who will? If you don’t take care of you, how can you effectively take care of yourself? What are you teaching your kids about a woman’s worth? Sometimes the things we don’t say/do have more impact than those that we do.
Some people journal, others sit on the back porch with a cup of hot tea to meditate and mull things over. Me? For me the quickest and surest way to get centered and find peace of mind is to work out. When I’m on top of my game, I’m at the gym 3 to 4 times a week. My secret? I take classes. I used to hate the idea of being beholden to getting to the gym at a certain time, but now that I have much more flexibility if I can just get myself to the gym I know that the instructor will do the rest and I can go on autopilot.
I wish I could say that I’m the person who arrives at the gym 15 minutes or so ahead of time to stretch and be prepared. I’m not. I’m doing good if I arrive 5 minutes before class begins. But the main thing is that I get there. I often start class with 50 different things on my mind, but once the warm up is over (or sometimes, depending on the class, if the warm up is tough or I haven’t been in a while) and the challenging work begins all of my energy is focused on keeping up with the instructor. I’m no longer worried about what we’re going to have for dinner, remembering to respond to an email or following up with a vendor. All of my thoughts are focused on how many more reps before the break or can I get through the next set although my thighs feel like they’re on fire. For me, those 3 or 4 hours a week, when I can get them are golden. They rev me up and give me the energy I need to be at my best for everyone. If I’m out of sorts and I can’t figure out why, it’s usually because I haven’t been to the gym in awhile. And believe you me, I know all to well about falling off the track. It’s hard to get back into a groove, there are a million things you could be doing instead . . . I’ve been there, but I also know that as hard as it may be for me to make myself get up from my desk and get there, I’m always glad I did.
I haven’t always been a fan of classes, but now all I do are take classes. And I’ve found some classes that I truly love to hate!
What’s your path to peace of mind?
