Three Phases of Physical Self Care
Taking care of your physical body is a lot of work. It takes a lot of self discipline, routine and sacrifice. It is up to you to decide if the reward is worth the sacrifice. Is the extra calories worth the enjoyment of the occasion, taste or reward? Is the extra nap worth the time missed from the day? Is the run worth the strain on your knees? For some the answer is yes and for others the answer is no. It is up to you and your personal goals.
Each person’s goals are different. Some people just want to be happy, some people want to be fit, some people want to have no “bad” things in their body, others may want:
To weigh a certain amount
Lift a certain amount
Run a certain distance
Fit into a certain size clothing
But there are also so many people who have goals more specific to their lifestyle or health such as:
Lower certain numbers from their doctors
Pass a stress test
Be able to keep up with their kids
Be able to care for a loved one
Get to a weight that will not impact their physical health
Maintain their mental health
Etc
Personally, I want to do my best to be able to keep up with my kids (both 2 and 4 leg ones ;) ) and to be able to work on my mental health so I can be the best and happiest version of myself for my husband, my kids and myself.
To keep things general and basic, my mind puts physical health into three main sections: Nutrition, Movement and Rest.
Rest: Rest is my absolute favorite thing to give my body for all circumstances. Upset = nap, overwhelmed = nap, happy = nap, tired = nap, all the feelings = nap. I use sleep as a way to rest my brain, my muscles and my emotions and when I need any overall reset. A few weeks ago, I was able to take a nap for the sole purpose of taking a nap. I wasn’t sick, the house was clean and it was a BEAUTIFUL thing! Working full time, being a wife and a mother is a LOT of fucking work. Even with an amazing husband who does half, if not more, of the work in the home. I wouldn’t trade any of it for anything… But it is a lot. And sometimes, I just need to reset myself.
After working out your muscles and ripping them apart to help build them, they also need rest. That is why it is important to work different muscles and give each muscle time to rest and heal before you overdo it, and injure yourself.
Nutrition: This is my hardest area of maintaining my physical health. There are so many different theories out there about what is good for you and what is not good for you. Black coffee is good for you, just kidding, all coffee is bad for you. Vitamins are good for you, just kidding, this vitamin is not good for most people. And then there is my greatest weakness… Pizza. Who came up with the idea of amazing, delicious food that is “not healthy for you”?!?! Blah! The way I see it, pizza hits a lot of the main food groups. I do not want to miss out on different events like birthday parties and not have cookies if I want it, or family cookouts and not have some potatoes, and I certainly do not want to miss out on ice cream after dinner or ice cream dates with all my boys! This is where my personal goals come in. It is more important for me to have these memories and fun times with my kids, than it is for me to stay within my calorie goals for the day.
My goal is to be able to healy enough to keep up with my kids. So counting macro’s or calories or anything else, isn’t AS important in my daily routine. I try and balance things out as much as I can. Have some chocolate, but also have some fruits and vegetables, make sure I am getting protein in my system and of course, make sure I get caffeine!
But it is important for you to look at your goals, and determine what the best means of achieving these goals are.
Movement: This is my 2nd favorite form of maintaining my physical self care. It is very hard for me to sit in one position for too long (unless I am asleep). I enjoy the feeling of working out so hard that I can't stand up after and I collapse on the ground trying to catch my breath. When I hurt to move two days later because I worked my muscles so hard. I enjoy pushing my body to new limits and seeing what it can accomplish. Am I going to be able to lift more than before, run longer or faster than before, do a new crazy dance with my kids, or rough house with the kids as they keep getting bigger.
