Time for me

I shared a bit the other day about an amazing women’s retreat at camp connect and the revelations from that weekend will continue to unfold here periodically. 

One of the things I realized during some of those quiet moments of contemplation was just how little time I dedicate to taking care of me. 

time

Why is that? 

I have no issues putting others needs above my own but when it comes to taking care of me… I still struggle. 

I’m in a good place right now.  I’ve got a good job that is exciting and fun. Giant is making progress and is getting happier with himself every day. Mini is right where he needs to be.  I look at this moment of my life, fully present and take a deep, cleansing breath of relief.  Things aren’t perfect… There are a few things I’m not completely happy with and some will have to shake out in time because frankly, I’m choosing to ignore them right now but one thing I can change. I can take care of me. 

How many times have I pointed out that there’s a reason flight attendants tell you to put your oxygen mask on first… I know this. But as discussed in this week’s season with Giant, knowing something and KNOWING something can sometimes be two vastly different things. 

So I posted on Facebook… Like you do… 

So remember that little 6 week break I had between job ex and job fabulous? Wanna guess how many times I made it to the gym? 
I could count them on one hand. 
Now that I’m getting settled in at the new job, it’s time to get back on track. (Yes, again for all y’all who witnessed this roller coaster before) so I’m trying to figure out the best way to structure my schedule. 
So, I want to hear from you what works in your world? Are you a morning workout queen/king or do you hit the gym after work? How to you overcome the I don’t wannas and the appeal of sleeping for just 5 more minutes…? What’s your favorite workout? Do you listen to music or prefer the silence to think? Are you in a gym or out on the open roads? How often do you workout? With a partner or alone? I wanna know…

And the answers flooded in. Some of you on my friends list are inspiring to me in the way you take care of you first. Maybe not first but definitely not last. At the same time, I’m relieved that so many of you know exactly what I’m thinking and feeling and struggling with. 

The best answer definitely goes to Lee who I was fortunate enough to meet through my Listen To Your Mother experience. She shared: 

Three rules: 1) No sweating before coffee. 2) No wine before sweating 3). Crank that s*** so loud you can’t hear the sound of your own wheezing. It’s not pretty, but working on yourself never is.

Those are fantastic rules. One’s I shall live by. And maybe cross stitch on a pillow. 

My darling friend Shannon added that you should eat 40 minutes before working out after waking up so… Morning workouts are out. That’s for certain. 

But I still need to carve out a few minutes every day that’s just for me. 

I started thinking about a conversation I had with my Giant the other day.  A conversation about goals – setting them, revisiting them, adjusting them.  I started revisiting the idea of SMART goals.  I looked at my current schedule.

Catching the 6:49 train to get me to work by 7:30 means that I am leaving work by 4.  That gets me back to my car by 5.  If I plan ahead and take my gym bag with me in the morning, I can hit the gym on my way home from the train station.

Another suggestion was a monthly challenge and heading over to pinterest, there are a plethora of monthly fitness challenges to choose from. So, a few of us are going to tackle the Butt & Gut Challenge from Tone & Tighten.  

Challenge

It’s a start and with my fearless friends working along with me, it’s got the accountability factor built in.  We didn’t want to have too much time to talk ourselves out of this challenge so it starts tomorrow.  Friday.  The 15th.  Tax day.  Seemed like a good place to start.

So, What are you doing for you each day?  How are you putting yourself first? And, of course, who is going to join in on the challenge?

 

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