It may seem strange, but even when I work out everyday – you know, like really intense cardio HIIT workouts with weights, and what feels like major body sculpting going on – I don’t get the results I’m after.
Does it happen to you?
You show up everyday (or atleast 5 / 6 days a week!) working HARD! Sweat dripping. Muscles shaking. Yet still! The scale doesn’t budge. Your body isn’t changing.
Or maybe it’s more in the de-stressing department that you seek change. Me, I’ll go through a one hour workout only to find myself freaking out – like really getting upset – over an annoying email that comes in as soon as the workout ends. The stress keeps me up at night… thinking, worrying. Anxiety!
And then there’s the whole lack of confidence piece. Exercising is supposed to build body confidence, right? By working out our bodies, we feel better about how we look, and how we show up in the world. Well, I’ll work out all the time, and still there are days I won’t wear something because I don’t like how I look. So the workout isn’t working! My self esteem still suffers which totally impacts my ability to speak out, and be who I want to be.
Do you know what I mean?
You do all this exercise, yet still don’t see (or feel!) results!
WTF?!?
Well, I’ve finally figured it out.
Too often, we only go thorough the motions of the exercise – whether it’s running along the jogging path, or squatting through a strength training class. Our body is there doing the work – but it’s not enough!
In order to start seeing (and feeling!) the results you want, you must take your workout beyond the body to include exercises for ALL of you – mind, body and soul. You need to practice holistic fitness by taking a whole self approach to your exercise routine.
While it’s important to strengthen your body, it’s equally important to strengthen your mind. A fit body looks amazing on the beach, but if you’ve got an out of control mind, one that goes wild with worry and anxiety, you may tell yourself that your body looks terrible. Or even worse, you listen to that toxic self-talk, and actually believe what it says. This creates a downward spiral into the abyss of negativity causing huge blocks; the biggest being it keeps you from expressing who you truly are.
By creating a practice of holistic fitness you work to find balance so that all parts can exist together, in harmony. It’s a practice that helps you connect to your body with physical exercises, clear your mind with mental exercises, and free your soul (a.k.a. be unapologetically you!) with free-style exercises.
And this is what creates lasting change.
Please join me for 5 days of Holistic Fitness (it’s free!) to get into your most amazing shape ever -mind, body and soul! Click here for more information.
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Elysha,
As so often happens with your posts……….I can relate!!!
I and I believe many many women are SELF-judgy about almost everything.
Three words in your piece caught my attention: BALANCE, HARMONY and FREE. So I am so looking forward to reading about your 5 Day Holistic Practice.
Thank you, Elysha!
Thanks, GGW. I appreciate you!
I couldn’t relate more to this post! I remember a few years ago I was trying all of the fads in the fitness industry – CrossFit, marathon training, acroyoga, kickboxing, you name it. I felt some sort of social pressure, like I “had” to keep up with the latest trends in order to be having an effective workout. Only recently did I realize that the moments when I was pushing myself the hardest were those when I actually didn’t feel like I was working out! Swimming laps in a pool, going to a Zumba class, etc. I think when one reaches that point where exercise becomes enjoyable, that’s when it is most effective.
Thanks for your thoughts!
I totally understand what you mean about feeling like you have to keep up with the latest workout…and there are tons of new ones these days to keep up with! It’s so true that once we find what works with our lives, the exercise becomes much more enjoyable. I’m glad you’ve found Zumba and swimming…I bet you’re getting great workouts with those.
And thanks for your thoughtful comment?