Hello friends~
Self love is about about taking care of yourself right now, and long term, constantly assessing,
This morning on Labor Day, the Virtual Open Studio session was an “un-labor workout”, Low intensity, steady state: LISS, intended for recovery. It was a bit of a hard sell at first to folks who love to hammer every workout, but it was exactly what we all needed – talkable, varied, and fun.
If being an athlete is part of your identity, you already know that recovery is part of training.
You can be strong and feel good at any stage in your life. But as with everything, what does it mean for YOU? It’s relative, and it’s personal.
Everyone can benefit from understanding how to love and nurture ourselves as we navigate through the varied stages of our lives.
What if you or your partner are considering parenthood, one of you is pregnant, postpartum, peri-menopause, or post menopause? You can get sidelined by all of the practical, physical, and emotional aspects of any of these critical times of life.
You can research and study, belong to support groups and forums, and be as prepared as possible – and still feel overwhelmed, surprised, and unsure of who you are at these times of physical and emotional change.
Staying healthy and strong depends on how we manage stress.
Whether you’re expecting a baby or seasoned parent, at certain times you might be thrown completely off your program by injury or life demands, which can lead to negative feelings about yourself and your performance. Exercise can help to relieve stress, but exercise itself is also a type of stress, so balance is key.
Athletic training can be a panacea, or an escape – like a mini-vacation, but it can backfire to overtraining syndrome, resulting in injuries, neglect of personal relationships, or even a pattern of disordered eating.
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to finding life balance.
This is where being kind to yourself comes in.
Some people might think self love, self compassion is fluff. Rocks and crystals. And how do you do that anyway?
Being a parent, no matter how many times you’ve done it, is a significant transformation in your identity, abilities, routine, and lifestyle. You have to re-calibrate on a regular basis, and acknowledge who you are, who you were, and who you still are, and believe me, it continues the entire time you are a parent and it keeps evolving.
Serena Williams’ wise advice:
“I feel like you have to take care of you, and one of the most important things you have to learn in life is to put you first,” she says. “I think some people learn that the easy way, and some people learn it the hard way. I’m still learning—it’s definitely a work in progress.”
Sorry, but there are no quick fixes.
You can find a zillion training programs online for all types of athletes that promise fast results, but no. Same goes for nutrition plans.
A nutritionist might have spreadsheets, meal plans, and help you measure macros, but is it sustainable or practical for YOU? You can hire a coach or trainer who writes a detailed training plan, but might not understand your goals, or offer programming that fits your schedule. Be honest and kind to yourself, be willing to allow time to recalibrate and reset, over and over if necessary. If you want good health – deep health that leads to peak performance – it’s a process.
No secret: Healthful nutrition will lead to your best performance.
My goal as a coach is to help you to find balance, to acknowledge who you are now, to process what you experience, and to help you understand who you are always becoming. It starts with understanding how to identify and address your own always changing needs.
I love seeing your transformations happening from the inside out, because those are always the most sustainable and successful.
I’d love to know how you find balance in training, recovery and nutrition.
Onward~
Polli
