Taking Care of Ourselves

Today was my first day back at yoga since school started. I do have to say that as we were waving our arms in the air for five minutes I thought that I may had made a mistake in coming back. However, after I was done torturing myself for the hour I was really glad that I forced myself to go.

I don't know about the rest of you but I tend to put taking care of myself last on the priority list. A lot of the women that I talk to also put themselves last. I continually ask myself why but I haven't come up with a good answer yet. My husband certainly doesn't have this problem, going to the gym is something that he does every day. When we go away for the day he either goes to the gym early or we leave late. I, in the meantime am making sure everything is ready to go and the house is taken care of! I do realize that I'm the only one who can change that and I have been trying.

Last year wasn't a good year for us, my husband found out in December of 07 that he was losing his job. We were fortunate that he received a very good severance package and he was able to find a new job before the package ran out. While I didn't feel like I was stressed and over whelmed, my body told me differently. I had all kinds of symptoms that resulted in A LOT of tests and medical bills before I realized what the problem was. I resolved this year to take better care of myself and from March - August I did a really good job. With the start of school I have slipped but I'm starting to get back into the swing of things. I have found the following tips to be helpful in my search for a more healthy lifestyle.

1 - Let people know what you're doing. In the past whenever I wanted to diet and exercise I kept it to myself for fear of embarrassing myself. This last time I let everyone know! This way I felt more accountable about everything I put in my mouth for fear of what everybody was thinking.

2 - Do it with a friend. One of my co-workers would let me blab about what I was doing all the time and one day he decided to join me. Now we encourage each other to get to the gym. He's forcing me to get on the treadmill and do cardio while tomorrow he will be joining me for yoga (the last time he tried it he was VERY uncomfortable, at least now he knows what to expect). Encouragement from a friend goes a long way.

3 - It's not about the numbers. I do try to weigh myself everyday on Wii because I found this helpful for me. However, I don't let myself get worked up about the number because it's really about being healthy and feeling good about yourself. The number is a side benefit.

4 - Do what works for you. Some people can be really rigid and strict with their diet, I can't. I'm not always disciplined enough to make my lunch. I have found that completely cutting out soda and eating salads when I go out to eat is something I can live with. I don't beat myself up when I splurge, as long as it's occassionally.

5 - Be kind to yourself. So you didn't make it to the gym today, do better tomorrow. Beating yourself up about what you didn't do isn't going to make it better. Just make sure that you do it tomorrow!

6 - Know that the world will not fall apart without you. This is the one that I struggle with the most. I feel like I can't take a lunch because of all the work waiting for me. Yoga class makes me feel guilty because I get home later than I'd like to. I try to tell myself that I will be a better employee, wife and mother if I take the time to do this for myself.

I know this is all common sense stuff, but sometimes it helps to hear the message repeated over and over. It helps me just writing it, I'll try better tomorrow and won't beat myself up. I'll let you know over time how my revitalized self improvement plan is going. I'd love to hear from you as to what you are doing and if it's working for you.