If your mind went to the gutter with that title…go ahead you can do that too. It kind of ties into what this blog is about.
Exercise.
Yes the Nike tag line “Just Do It” really sums it up. This past weekend, I hit my annual “meh” stage. Every year, when the sun is gone for more than a week and the cold weather breaks through, I get grumpy and tired. I want to eat crappy food, and I want to stay in bed all day.
Life’s insistent mundane tasks; getting up, rushing to get breakfast, lunches, school permission forms, find SOMETHING to wear, do your hair, do your kid’s hair, pack the back packs, tie up the dog, carry your 36 bags to the car, get out of the car and go back to the house because you forgot to leave the damn dog some water, get back in the van get back out of the van because one of your kids forgot their mitts, go find the mitts that they left God knows where while they played outside yesterday and you told them to bring them back in 97 times but they didn’t…breathe. Get to the bus stop, drive to work like a maniac because you don’t want to hear your co-workers “sighhh” when you walk in. Work all day and then rush home to get the kids from after school care, get the backpacks back in the house, make dinner, clean up the dishes, do homework, bath the kids, listen to a story about recess that doesn’t make any sense, and then try desperately NOT to fall asleep while you lay with your kids . THIS can get a little well…..perpetual.
So just do it.
A brisk walk, a run with the dog, some yoga, a sport, whatever it is, exercise can really help tame that lunatic who comes out when you’re stressed and overwhelmed. Yesterday when I barked at my kids for not getting to bed, my husband turned to me and said “do everyone a favour and go for a run”. I did, and I came back refocused, reenergized and feeling way less Linda Blairish.
It’s so damn hard though. It’s minus 200 degrees already and dark before 5pm, so you have to push yourself. Either get up first thing in the morning and centre yourself with 20-30 min of exercise before the hurricane of life hits or if you have the opportunity, do it after work. Either way, find the time. You will be a better mom, worker and person for it. Don’t stress about becoming an Ironman or anything, just get the blood pumping. Find some time where you ask your body to focus on the task at hand rather than feeling overwhelmed at the 62000 outstanding tasks that are consuming your thoughts. If you say you don’t have the time, you are lying. There are 24hrs in a day. You can find 20 minutes 3-4 times a week.
Exercise is without a doubt the best medicine. It’s better than stress eating. It’s better thnn yelling. It’s therapy with major benefits! Your clothes will fit better, your heart will beat better, and your mind will be clearer. So next time you can find a million excuses why you don’t want to go the gym, hit the treadmill, go for a walk or hit the yoga studio, stop. Close your eyes, think ahead, see the benefits at the end of the tunnel and…
JUST DO IT.
MF
