Strong is the New Self-care
A lot of times people think about self-care in two extremes: as a lavish, expensive way to indulge themselves (weekend trip to a spa) or a selfish escape from responsibilities (scrolling through Instagram in the bathroom while the kids bang on the door).
True self-care is neither of these. Instead, it is an essential way that you can love and take care of yourself so that you are ready to love and take care of everyone and everything else in your life. Making self-care a priority helps your emotional, psychological, and physical health. It also reduces or eliminates anxiety, depression and stress. Physically, it can cut down on inflammation and tension in your body. That sounds great, right?
Let’s look at 4 key areas for self-care.
#1 Sleep
Quality sleep is so important. It can be hard to turn the day “off” and go to bed, especially if the day has been busy. Sometimes evening is the first quiet time you’ve had all day, so you want to try to cram in a bunch more work or entertainment! Even so, try to wind down your evening in time to get a good night’s rest. Switch off electronics, dim the lights a little, and put all the business of the day aside.
Quality sleep is not only important for your mind—it's also important for muscle recovery. When you incorporate strength training into your workout routine, you are creating small tears in your muscles, which is a good thing. That means you are building muscle. Your body needs quality sleep to recover properly from your workouts and to be able to feel strong for your next workout.
As a bonus: When you build muscle mass you burn fat mass!! Burning fat mass = strong and lean body! Making sure you get good quality sleep will ensure your day doesn't conquer you, instead you conquer your day. AKA Feeling Unstoppable!
#2 Calming your Muscles and Mind
Take some time during the day and before bed to calm your mind. This mindfulness means being aware of your own needs, feeling your feelings, and reminding yourself of your strengths to combat stress or worry.
With the hustle and bustle of your demanding day and the vigorous workouts you do, calming your muscles and mind is very important. In Unleash the Beast, we incorporate stretching videos with calming music that are 10 minutes in length to keep our muscles flexible and give ourselves a mini break. When you calm the mind, you also calm your muscles. This will help prevent injury and pain.
We often don't notice how many times our body goes into fight or flight mode in one day—we just go, go, go. We forget to listen to our body. When it starts to break down, it is giving you signs that you need to slow down. You can prevent the breakdown before it begins.
Take 10-15 minutes each day to do something for yourself that allows you to relax or calms your mind. Here are some ideas to help you. Which of these are most appealing to you?
Walk
Take a bath with Epsom salt (for muscle recovery)
Read a book
Meditate or Pray
Listen to a podcast
Write or Journal
Nap
Garden, paint, knit or sew
Complete an Unleash the Beast stretching video
Carve out 10- 15 minutes each day to do one of these things.
#3 Food
A balanced, healthy diet is a great way to practice self-care. Meal planning, grocery shopping, and packing your own lunch for work can enable you to eat nutritious, energy-giving food—even on your busiest days. Your body’s fuel is important!
#4 Vigorous Exercise
You won’t be surprised that this is my favorite area of self-care. I know you want to be healthier, stronger, and leaner. When you are taking care of your body, all the other areas of self-care come together: you sleep better, you feel less stress and anxiety, and you crave healthier foods. And, you have lots more energy for your day.
Our recommended 4 days of vigorous workouts that incorporate both strength and conditioning will get you in the best shape of your life. It will not only build strength in your muscles, but it will also strengthen your endurance, which = a strong, healthy heart. Building a strong heart will pump more blood efficiently through your veins, which = a lower resting heart which = lean and fit body!
Vigorous Strength and Conditioning Workouts=Muscle Strength Endurance
Endurance=A Strong, Healthy Heart
A Strong Healthy Hearts=Efficient Blood Pumping=A Lower Resting Heart Rate
ALL THIS=A LEAN and FIT BODY
I know transforming your body takes work, and it is hard to do it on your own. But, focusing on fitness will bolster every part of your life. You will feel great, look great, and be ready to take on anything!
The Strong-Fit Life is all about Strength—but also Self-Care
Self-care starts with you. It doesn’t haven’t to be lavish and expensive. You don’t have to feel guilty about taking care of yourself. No, an investment in yourself will improve all the other areas of your life. Especially when it comes to exercise and fitness, it may mean taking a hard look at your calendar and taking a few things off to make room for self-care. Or, you might need to lower your expectations for yourself a little—perfection is not a realistic goal.
The Get Strong Fit and Summer Ready program is designed to walk with you on your fitness journey and provide community, accountability, and encouragement. Check out our options here: for Members or Non-members. We are here to help you get in the best shape of your life!
When you start to get overwhelmed and busy, remember the value of self-care—you are worth it!