As I’m typing this, it’s Monday morning. I woke up this morning when my alarm went off at 4:50, I got up, made my bed and put on my workout clothes. Then I took off my workout clothes, put back on my pajamas and went back to bed for another 2 hours.
In the blogging/fitness world, we often pride ourselves on our early morning wake up calls, our miles logged and time spent in the weight room. Reading so many blogs and having several athletic friends can easily skew my vision of what is expected and what is best for me. However, this past week after chatting with different people I eventually realized that my early morning 6 days a week workout schedule is rare.
Yes, exercise is great for you. Exercise gives you endorphins, keeps you healthy, helps you reach fitness goals and makes you feel good about yourself. However, when you feel anxious that you might have to miss a workout, or couldn’t get in your full hour (or whatever time you usually exercise for), it becomes a problem.
When I woke up this morning I wasn’t feeling great. Not only did I get very little sleep this weekend, but I’ll be honest – I also overate to the point of feeling sick on Sunday. I knew that if I went to the gym I’d be completely consumed with burning enough calories to make a dent in all the peanut butter from yesterday. I knew I’d feel awful since my stomach still bothered me, only making my anxiety worse and the whole experience stressful and overwhelming.
I decided that reducing my stress was more important than getting in a run, than burning more calories, than feeling “impressive” with my workouts. I’m glad I took this morning off and that I’m changing my perspective and focusing more on reducing my stress because I know it will help me in the long run. I’m slowly realizing that doing less and being less is going to help me with my anxiety, which, in turn, will improve all areas in my life.
Sometimes we need to stop comparing ourselves to people that we see online, or even people in our own lives. The pressure to keep up with everyone else can be overwhelming, and often it’s not the best choice for you and your life.
And yes, it can be hard to know that your friend ran 10 miles before work, or that blogger you love did an intense body-pump class plus sprints for her workout that day, while you slept for an extra couple of hours and took a second rest day in a row. As difficult as it can be, it’s important to focus on yourself and what’s best for you. We all have our own gifts to share with the world, the key is find yours and to be your own version of amazing.
Do you deal with anxiety?
Do you ever feel pressure from friends or bloggers to workout more or a certain way?