This past weekend was doozie for me. I didn’t really want to talk to anyone, do anything, or even concentrate on television. I completely lacked the motivation to move. All I wanted to do was sit on the couch and maybe watch some television, but that was a BIG maybe.
I don’t know what put me in this horrible mood, but it happened. Last Friday I decided I needed a work out break because my workouts that week sounded like I was ordering hamburgers from Wendy’s: triple (M), double (Tu), triple (W) and double (Th). When Saturday morning came around I had every intention of doing my long run, but I just couldn’t do it. It was still a bit raining so I decided to go to spin and do some weight training. When I got to the gym, I immediately starting talking myself out spin but I would still do the weight training. Yes, I did walk into the spin room and then I walked out and then I walked back in.
Halfway through class I was glad that I took the plunge to stick it out even though I was DYING. Finishing the class made it much easier to go to Group Power. Usually, I am the person that has to be stopped from working out 7 days a week. Saturdays are usually my fun day because I do long runs and just enjoy the weekend. This particular Saturday, I talked myself out of it very quickly. I’m not totally convinced that if my friend hadn’t seen me sitting outside the spin class that I would have gone back in. What was my problem?
People always say listen to your body when it comes to working out too much or just needing a rest day. Everyone SHOULD listen to your body because it knows when enough is enough. In this case, my body wasn’t the issue, it was my mind. The mind is a powerful thing and it can be your best friend or your greatest enemy. Saturday, my mind was not my friend and my body had to take over control.
When I run and I feel like I want to stop I always tell myself, “Your mind says quit before your body does.” A friend told me that not too long ago and now I pass it on to you. I know I would have been upset with myself if I didn’t get my Saturday workout in because I let my mind psych me out.
Don’t let yourself defeat YOU. Push to be better than you were the day before and continue to grow everyday! When you’re in a funk, exercise will usually help guide you to a better place. Unfortunately, I stayed in my funk the rest of the weekend and I did sit on the couch the remainder of the day. But I got my workout in and that is all that mattered. If sitting on my couch, AFTER my workout, was what I needed to heal my soul, it was okay to do so.
We all have bad days; it’s how we deal with those days that define us. Having a bad day isn’t a bad thing and even if I would have skipped my workout it would have been ok. I would have survived to see another bad day. Tomorrow is a new day to start fresh. The musical Annie taught us all a valuable lesson: “The sun will come out tomorrow…” So we can get up, shake off the dust and start all over again!
