5 Ways to Turn Your Fitness Routine Is an Act of Self-Care

We all know that keeping fit is an important part of taking care of our health, but many of us often let ourselves get carried away. It is easy to fixate on the physical transformation we are seeking or to start seeing our fitness routine as an unpleasant chore that looms over our daily schedule. If you start feeling this way, it is time to re-evaluate your approach to fitness. Exercise should be an act of self-love and self-care, and it should complement other healthy habits in a seamless and painless way. Here are a few ways to make sure you are doing it right.

Love Your Workouts

Fitness will never truly feel like self-care until you find a workout you love. If you are reading this, chances are you already love yoga, but there are plenty of ways to boost your fitness routine, as well as other complementary exercises you can try. Take your yoga practice to the next level and improve your mobility, flexibility, and circulation with a Shakti Yoga Wheel®. When you’re not working on your poses, try going for a hike on weekends, swimming at a local pool, or taking dance lessons as fun, engaging, and relaxing activities that can help you fall in love with your exercise routine.

Balance the Benefits

Some people love cardio but hate the idea of a weight room, while others enjoy the adrenaline of strength training but will do anything to avoid a run. Wherever you fall on this spectrum, the ideal fitness routine includes a balance of both, as well as improving other elements such as balance and flexibility.

Eat Well

Exercise and a healthy diet are two pillars of self-care, and they are also closely linked. Make sure you are supporting your fitness routine with balanced, nutritious meals that give you plenty of energy and help your body get stronger. This won’t just you get more from your workouts -- healthy eating will make you feel better in almost every way.

If you have trouble cooking healthy meals due to lack of skills, inspiration, or time, then consider using a fresh food delivery service. This can help you in several ways, from encouraging portion control to helping you incorporate new and exciting foods into your diet, not to mention helping you stick to your plan by making healthy eating the more convenient option.

                                         Photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash

Have Rest Days

It may be tempting to work out every day, but it is important to give yourself some downtime from your fitness routine. How much will depend on your fitness level and schedule, but it is recommended that you work out four or five days a week, with the other days being rest days. This helps your body recover from the workout and prevents burnout and injury. If you need help, Self has a great guide to crafting the perfect fitness schedule for your needs.

Enjoy The Journey

Too many people focus on the “destination” of a fitness routine, rather than the ongoing journey of regular exercise. It’s great to have a goal for your workouts -- in fact, it is a reliable way to achieve better results -- but it should not be your sole motivation.

Fitness is about committing to a healthier lifestyle that supports your body and mind and helps you achieve your ambitions. The ongoing practice of it is its own reward, so learn to value exercise for its own sake. One way to achieve this is to be more mindful while you exercise or to start incorporating a few minutes of meditation at the beginning and end of your workouts.

The relationship between fitness and self-care often gets muddled in our heads. It’s obvious to most of us that no self-care regimen is complete without regular exercise, but it is somehow less obvious that no fitness routine is truly effective until it is being practiced as an act of self-care. Achieving balance between the two is about growing to love your fitness routine, supporting it through a healthy lifestyle, and being kind to yourself throughout the journey.

Guest Post by Sheila Olson

Learn more about Sheila at fitsheila.com