As you'll come to find, I am absolutely an advocate for self care. In some cases, this might mean going to the gym and swimming for cardio rather than running, or it might be going to a yoga class. It could look like taking a bath or a shower, cleaning your living space, or reading a book. In other cases, it could be cooking a meal, singing out of key to your favorite songs, or eating some pizza with some friends. Regardless of what it is that you do for a self care day, if you feel you need it, do it.
This week I've been sick with a really wonderful nasal/throat/achey cold. Not to mention, I'm still in a weird transitional place between summer and school (which happens almost every year and causes a month-long funk). There are certain foods I eat and things I do when I'm sick that I don't partake in on a regular basis. These have always helped me with recovering from a cold or flu. That being said, here's how this week went when it came to self care: Usually when I'm sick, I'm knocked down for at least a day and just stay in bed and recover. This time, I wanted to try and push through by going to classes and the gym. On Monday, I went to class despite not feeling fantastic, and then went to the gym after for a light workout. I walked for 20 minutes on the treadmill, worked my core, then did an upper body workout using half the weight I normally would. The next day, I went to class again, felt awful because of the heat, and went home to do some laundry and chores, watched a movie, and promptly quit at trying to do anything other than staying at home, watching Parks and Rec, and (joyfully) making dinner for me and my boyfriend. Wednesday, I knew that I needed my "sick day off" to recover and re-charge. My alarm had been going off at 6:30am because that's when I've been wanting to get up and start my day, but my body just wasn't able to do it. So, I turned the alarm off and slept until noon (which I haven't done since early high school probably), then went to dinner with the Lutheran Campus Ministry group and ate mac n cheese and bread without any guilt. When I'm sick, I usually completely listen to my body so that I can take care of it. This includes having a couple of carb-heavy meals, resting for a full day, and accepting that I'm being told to rest. This time, however, I was more frustrated by the fact that I couldn't go to the morning pilates class like I had wanted, didn't feel like eating the fresh vegetables in my refrigerator, and tried pushing through my regular days because I wanted to do better than last week. Instead of listening right away, I ended up prolonging my sickness by not doing what my body was telling me it needed, and ended up in yet another funk. Self care can come in many different forms, and listening to your body and what it truly needs is one of the main ways to engage in self care. Today, I'm planning on eating some carbonara made by my fantastic boyfriend. I will enjoy the food, eat in moderation, and use what I consume to get over this sickness, and prepare myself for a busy Friday and a good workout. Next week, I will not need this kind of food, and I know that if I consume it as I have been, I'll start feeling guilty. Often, when I feel guilty for what I've eaten or am trying to justify it to make myself feel better about the decision, I know that I did not need what I consumed. While I will never recommend having pasta or mac n cheese and the like every single night, I have been listening to my body's needs, and I'm so excited to start new, healthy routines next week as I start logging my food every day, going to morning pilates classes, and participating in a female-only strength training class during the week. This week I've learned: 1) When you're sick, it's your body asking you to take a day off--so take a damn day off. 2) Enjoy everything in moderation. 3) Sometimes we need a reset week and it's ok to fall short of goals, as long as we pick ourselves up and get back on track. I hope you have a happy, healthy, and productive week ahead!
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AuthorElena B. Archives
June 2020
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