Because, Self Care

Hey #fitfam ! It's been a minute! Thanks for hanging in there, and it's been good to see you guys in and out of Monday Movement with me! Quick reminder, no session this coming Monday!

Today, I wanted to focus on the topic of rest and self care.

In the last year, I have trained really hard and am now a stunt woman! I am very proud of my hard work and progress, and I'm so excited for this new chapter of my life! But because my body has become my instrument in my job, it's more important than ever to take care of it. (Even though, as a personal trainer I have always tried to practice what I preach!) So when I started training, I forced myself to budget and set aside time to take care of my body. Every month, I have a minimum allotted funds for spending on the health and care of my body. Every month, I specifically set aside time to rest and take care of my body. Sometimes, that comes in the form of massage therapy, acupuncture, manicure/pedicure, facial, etc. I don't expect a facial to fix my body (lol) but I do expect the time that I sit there and let a professional work on my physical/mental self help reinforce that I am taking care of myself.

What I have been noticing, especially during something like a pedicure, is that I often pull out my phone and start working on something or scrolling social media.

It takes a whole thought to then stop, and put the phone away so I can be present while I am doing my self care. How many times have I "enjoyed" a foot massage and basically missed it because I was thinking about or focusing on something else? So yes, I have endured some self care, but did I really participate? Did I really get all the benefits from that of which I basically missed?

Setting up the time and budget for self care was in fact, a great first step. The next step is to capitalize on the time and money spent on this self care! Being present and mindful, I believe, is a KEY FACTOR into how much impact this therapy has on the body and soul. Similarly, savoring every bite of food, versus scarfing it down impacts the body differently. Sitting there, and enjoying the time with yourself, and experiencing the attention to your body, in my belief based on reading, will have a different effect on how your body recovers, and how you feel.

Take, for example, the times when I will lay down for 45 minutes. If I lay down, and spend the time resting, I may or may not fall asleep, but I will likely feel more rested than if I scrolled social media for 45 minutes, laying down. Even though in both cases, I was, in fact laying down for 45 minutes, the intentional resting will be more impactful than the mindless scrolling.

Although I think we need true care of self everyday, I don't think every day should be a large, expensive treat. Intentional self care could come in the form of affirmations, breathing, exercising, spending time with people who give you energy, cooking healthy food, taking a bath, reading, meditating, stretching, playing with pets or children, going on a walk, going to a place that puts us at ease, and all of these things can be inexpensive and not time-consuming. I think many of us know the idea of this. But I also think it's easier to say, I'm going to go get a pedicure, because self-care. If that pedicure is attached to scrolling social media the whole time, we effectively are using our self-care time to look at other people's lives, (and inherently and justifiably comparing ourselves to others...) which is NOT self-care, it's almost the opposite.

Using "self-care" as an excuse to spend money and time on these certain, and often expensive, products or services without reaping the benefits of true self care can leave us tired, and then back x amount of dollars, even/especially if we're doing them regularly.

All this to say that when I'm spending time taking care of myself, I don't want to miss out on it! I want to experience it fully and take advantage of the benefits. I want to get as much out of it as I can! Moving forward into May, I know that I will be looking to be a little more present, which I have done in previous months but it's always nice to circle back and make it a priority.

I hope you take a moment each day to give yourself the love and care you deserve and I hope this quick read was a reminder for you to take full advantage of your self care. I hope you have a strong finish to your week and a great, restful weekend to be able to hit it hard and smash your goals on Monday. Happy Thursday #fitfam !!!!

<3 Coach Kwo