Self Care – What is it and why is it important –
Hi guys, Kris from Custom Fitness here, your Amarillo personal trainer. Today we’re going to be talking about self care and why it’s important. If you have any questions about today’s blog, then please give us a call at (806)-322-3188
Women spend all day in a mostly “selfless state” taking care of everyone else but themselves. It’s time to Take Time for YOU.
It’s okay to take time for you – makes you a stronger, more able and more sane person. I like to compare this idea to an image of a pyramid where you are the bottom layer, then pile on top of that your family, friends, co workers, etc. As a pyramid, the bottom layer is the most important for support and that’s exactly what we do all day every day.
As women, we know our job is to support…well, everyone. And that’s what we do. The problem is that any structure that has been built cannot continue to exist in “like new” condition forever. It has to have regular maintenance and oftentimes restoration when it’s not been receiving regular maintenance. Your body, much like a pyramid or other structure, has to have regular maintenance. You are in charge of keeping your “like new” condition and often as women, we seriously fail in this area.
Now, I don’t like to use the word failure often because I truly believe that until we completely give up on what we are trying to accomplish that we are still able to succeed. The trouble here is that most women aren’t even trying. Perhaps they did at one point and life got crazy or perhaps they never were taught the importance of self care. The truth is that while you may have received and “F” on your self care project in the past, you have a chance for a retake. You get a do-over and all it takes is a renewed commitment to YOU, YOUR HEALTH and YOUR LIFE.
In my opinion, there are 3 very important areas that we as women often neglect that whittle us down day by day into states of depression, anxiety, fatigue and more. And in truth, it’s these 3 areas that also keep us from having the body and life of our dreams. What are they? ….
1st your spiritual health:
It’s not about finding time, it’s about making time for your spiritual practice. Whether it’s a daily devotional, breathing, meditation, prayer or what have you, it’s important and it’s the best way to start your day centered and focused on what’s truly important.
When we don’t take care of our spiritual health, the little things start to feel much bigger than they should and our daily duties begin to suffer. Ending our day with some time to focus in this area also helps to give some perspective to our day, our life’s mission and what should be our main focus. I can tell you from personal experience that when this piece is missing, things start to look awfully fuzzy and it’s easy to lose your passion, motivation and direction in life. The same was true for a client I worked with a few years back named Annie. Mother of 4, wife to a business owner and
Mental/Emotional:
When’s the last time you took 5 minutes to breathe and check in with yourself mentally or emotionally? When’s the last time you allowed a friend to be your “wall” to bounce frustrations, ideas or emotions off of? It’s time to improve your mental/ emotional well being. As women we rarely take time to take inventory of these types of things for ourselves but are the first ones to jump in to help others. Mentally we need a break. Even if it’s just 5-10 minutes each day to not think. Did you know that stress is a physical thing?
It starts out as an emotion but as it builds, it becomes a physical manifestation within you that then has to be expelled from the body in a physical way. Stress is also responsible for some types of hormone imbalance and adrenal/thyroid dysfunction. Stress can even be responsible for extreme hair loss (and that can be 6-8 months after the stress has been resolved)! When it comes to the causes of stress, they are numerous but what I can tell you is that there are only 2 types of stress in the world.
The first is the one you have no control over this is called actual stress and the second is the one you do which is called perceived stress. I’ve found in my personal journey that often the first type (uncontrolled) if given the opportunity will grow in my mind to a larger scale than it ever was on its own which leads into the second type. I may not have a way to stop stress from happening but I am in control (and so are you) over the expansion or snowball effect of stress if you will.
So what do we do about it? We start by taking 5 minutes each day to breathe and be. This is my way of saying to take time for you. Not social media, not family, not friends, for YOU. As a bonus, when you do intentional deep belly breathing, you are able to better control and lessen your perceived stress. How do you do it? It’s super easy! Take a long deep breath in as you count to 4 (not seconds, just your own count), then hold that breath for the count of 5, last, let that breath out slowly for the count of 6. By doing this, you release happy hormones that help your level of internal stress decrease and shift your mindset.
Another great way to induce physical relaxation to decrease stress levels is to drink a cup of hot tea. Whether it’s something in the tea itself or just the act of sitting and focusing on nothing else, it works! By creating self relaxation to release stress, it will be amazing how much weight you can lift off your own shoulders.
- Physical:
Did you know that Custom Fitness actually has a whole other side called Amarillo Fit Mama? We do! Now, if you’re not a mom, that’s ok. The reason I’m mentioning this is because it is so easy for women in general to not focus on their own health that we’ve created this avenue to help teach women how important their health truly is. Had back, hip, shoulder pain lately? Perhaps you’ve been experiencing chronic headaches or neck aches? Did you know that muscle imbalance or weakness could be to blame?
I worked with a woman last year, we’ll call her Shirley, who came to me because she had been experiencing chronic back and neck pain. We started with our normal consultation and discovered that while she used to be pretty active, she hadn’t exercised in the past 5 years since she had taken on an upper level position at her job. Then we discovered through our initial assessment that her posture had suffered quite a bit from what it used to be and her understanding was that it came from the long hours she was putting in on the computer and in front of her phone.
We began working together to improve her muscular strength, flexibility and posture and within 4 weeks, she was no longer experiencing the pain daily. In fact by week 7, it had pretty much disappeared. It always amazes me how quickly the body can recover when it is given the right conditions.
Physically, we need movement. Our body was made to move and yet, we sit most of the time. Our eyes were made to look forward and all around and yet, they are typically glued forward and down on our devices. It’s not that we have to go to the extreme and change everything all the time, but is there something you could do today to minimize the time you are sitting and staring while increasing the time you are moving? It doesn’t have to be a heavy workout but movement is the key to starting. Exercise has more benefits than it does side effects for sure. By exercising, you not only bring your muscle tone and flexibility back, lose excess body fat but you also are able to balance your internal systems.
Creating a better self care routine in your life doesn’t have to be incredibly difficult. First, plan and block out 10-30 minutes for yourself each day. Start the day with some deep breathing and getting in touch with your spiritual needs. Then make sure to get some activity in during the day. Sure we all do house chores and more but make it something intentional. Try it for a week and see what a difference it can make in your life.
So, if you are wanting the accountability and help with creating an action plan to see results, or are wanting to someone to help create a workout plan to push you to your greatest potential, then that’s what we’re here for. What we do is we work with our clients not just on fitness, but also nutrition. We will ensure that you are supported throughout every aspect of your health and wellness journey, and that includes making those eating changes. We have an entire team of dedicated professionals to help you with your health and fitness goals. To get your consultation set up, give us a call at 806-322-3188 or email us at info@customfitness.biz At Custom Fitness, we are YOUR personal trainers in Amarillo, Texas. Have a great day.