Listening to your body

... is a hard thing to do. As fitness and health enthusiasts, a lot of us know our bodies very well. I try my best to stick to a schedule of healthy foods and exercise. When this is thrown off, my body knows it. And when I am on my schedule and my body still doesn't feel right, I know something is wrong. I believe it is so important to know your body inside and out. Your body is constantly telling you what it needs and how it reacts to change. It can also be a great insight into your emotional well-being as well. Our bodies are amazing machines that deserve to be fueled, maintained and treated properly... don't take your body for granted: it does amazing things for you.

That being said, it is sometimes SO HARD. The past few weeks I have been really busy fitting everything into my schedule. Last week I was horse showing and working at the farm. This week I was babysitting and working at the farm. Meaning 10 days that my alarm went off at 6am or earlier. I was moving my body for a majority of the day and sometimes woke up feeling like I was run over by a horse during the night. I'm simply not used to the activity I've put my body through. I thought that I would finally be able to get a good workout in on Tuesday, my first day off. I was hurting in the morning and feeling really tired, but I set my alarm for 7am (sleeping in!) so I could  fit in a workout. Throughout breakfast I was second-guessing a workout because I still wasn't feeling right, but decided I was being lazy and I could push through 20 minutes of cardio. Not quite.

I made it through about 15 minutes when my body started shaking and my muscles felt so fatigued I had to sit down. BUT I WASN'T DONE WITH MY WORKOUT was all I could think. It took a lot of self-talk to remind myself of all the things in the first paragraph. Pushing my body when it was exhausted was not going to make me stronger, and could actually hurt me more.  My body was telling me it couldn't do it. Not because I was lazy, but because physically I was exhausted. While I've wanted to try to workout during my free time this week, I've decided that riding and working at the barn will count. I will take the weekend off, sleep in on Sunday and start with a light workout on Monday.

As someone who is so into fitness, I love the challenge of pushing myself... almost to a fault. I know a lot of my fitness instructor friends know the feeling. But you have to draw the line. Long-term is much more important than short term in the fitness realm. Make sure you listen to your body... it really is your temple that holds a lot of secrets to your health and well-being.

Have a happy Friday and enjoy your weekend!!!