Push Yourself, You’ll Be Glad You Did

I’ve written a few posts about the importance of physical and mental exercise to stay healthy and continue to grow. The topic was brought back to the front of my brain by a recent newspaper article (yes, I still read an actual hard copy newspaper) on the subject of people being too tired to work out or to even bother to eat healthy. Of course, the paradox here is that if you push yourself to workout, you will be tired after but will grow stronger and will be less tired – even energized - in the long run. Same for taking the time and effort – and it doesn’t take that much – to eat at least healthier than downing fast food as your primary diet.

Sure, you can sit on the couch instead of working out, and it feels pretty good, but you will feel better sitting on the couch after a workout. It can be tough to get - and stay – motivated to keep up a consistent workout routine and it requires focus and commitment. It only takes a few missed workouts to knock you off your schedule, but it can take weeks to set the routine into your daily life. Again, same goes for eating healthy vs the convenience of fast food.

For me, it’s been a rough spring thanks to an over-abundance of pollen. My allergies have knocked me out on several days and it has been a struggle to keep up with my workouts at times. Same for writing, as a foggy head is not conducive to having the energy and focus to create a blog post, or even a journal entry. Though, just like with physical exercise, when I push myself to write I always feel better afterwards. That sense of accomplishment – and relief if I’ve been procrastinating, ironically with this post - is ample reward and it re-energizes me.

Beyond physical and mental exercise, there is emotional exercise. I’m not referring to building emotional intelligence, though that is important. In this case, I mean the emotional lift we get by doing something for others: volunteering, donating to a food bank, helping a neighbor, etc. I recently joined our town’s Office of Emergency Management as a way to give back to the community. Our group is involved in many community activities in addition to being ready to assist residents during emergencies like floods, events requiring evacuation, and even water main breaks. The latter occurred right after Memorial Day, and we were called into action to distribute cases of water to affected residents. It made me think of how grateful I was when we received water and ice after Hurricane Sandy devastated the tri-state area. It felt good to know that I was now part of the team helping others in need.

By pushing yourself in the triad of physical, mental, and emotional exercise you will become stronger, more resilient, and ensure continued growth and learning. You will also increase your motivation to eat better as your brain will be more tuned to how your body reacts to what you eat. The best part is even small steps help. And all the better if some of those small steps push you outside your comfort zone. So get off the couch and push yourself a little each day. You’ll be glad you did.

www.RetiredandInspiredat55.com 6-12-2023