"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
Sometimes we can find ourselves in certain areas of our lives where things seem stagnant or no progress is being made. Our health, relationships and careers will occasionally take a backseat to whatever it is we choose to prioritize and give our time and attention to. It can be tough juggling our commitments and making sure we are giving them the required energy to meet our own expectations and those of our loved ones and colleagues. It can also be easy to get overwhelmed to the point where our bandwidth of energy is stretched too thin, leaving us feeling exhausted, and not leaving much time for our own self-care.
I started realizing the importance of self-care when I would practice it in spurts. I would go for months eating healthy and running a few times a week. I would monitor my alcohol intake and make an effort to not eat and only drink water after 9pm. Then, the wheels would fall off. I would not feel motivated. I would stop running. I ate lots of fried foods. More alcohol. Less water. After a couple months of this debauchery, I would wake up feeling minimal energy and struggle getting through my day. Time to get healthy again. Rinse and repeat. This explains why I ballooned between 200-250 lbs. (90.7-113.4 kg) for all of my adult life.
I made a commitment I would never again let myself go when it pertains to my mental, physical and Spiritual health. I still take breaks from certain self-care regimens, but I stopped abandoning my overall health so I could be a glutton and give in to whatever I craved or desired. I still allow myself to indulge in alcohol and sweets, but I do it in moderation. I still take breaks from running, especially in the winter, but I still get some form of aerobic activity in. I have been dancing more lately. Yes, by myself. 😁 I have been steadily under 210 lbs. (95.3 kg) for the last three years and I intend to keep it that way.
I know from experience how easy it is to give in to my impulses. Some days I want fried food over the healthier option. Some days I'd rather stay in bed than get up and get in some exercise. Some days I do, but most days I don't. That's how I maintain a healthy weight for me. That's how I wake up feeling good 90-something percent of the time. When we make time for our own self-care throughout the day, we are less likely to fall into a low-energy trap of running on fumes. We must take better care of ourselves to take care of our commitments. It's how we are able to keep putting in the required effort every day.
More Wellness!
