I’m not really exercising, and here’s why

First of all, thanks for all the love on my newsletter last week about my love life. I LOVED reading through all of your responses – so many of you shared your stories about your own journey in love and it was so heart-warming to read. So thank you!

Now for this week…

I thought I would touch on another topic that is really relevant in my life right now that I know so many of you can likely relate to.

Exercise!

Or… lack thereof.

In these past several weeks, I have NOT been in a groove around exercise.

And it has felt funky.
And weird.
And a little uncomfortable.

But, it happens sometimes. And I want to share with you a bit about why I have been in this funk, and also how I am dealing with it in a calm, centered way. I hope that it helps you if you’re going through something similar now, or if you go through this down the road.

So first of all, here’s why I haven’t been exercising as much:

1. I am not really excited about any time of movement right now. I thought I would be more into running this summer, which I typically like when it’s warm out, but I just haven’t been as into it for whatever reason. It’s been so hot and humid in the city, and my body just hasn’t really felt like running. I was really into yoga during the winter, but as it started getting warmer out, the idea of going to a hot yoga studio started to sound less appealing, so that hasn’t felt right either. As many of you know, I love SoulCycle, but I also haven’t really wanted to go to that as much either! What gives!? Nothing really sounds good! I am kind of in this in between phase in which I haven’t really figured out how to find my groove with movement. I’ve felt a little stuck and uninspired.

2. My schedule has been really erratic this summer. I am a pretty organized person when it comes to my schedule, but lately, it has felt very jumbled and all over the place. I took on a whole bunch of new clients in June, so I am managing several new commitments and schedules, plus there is always more travel and random activities going on in the summer. I haven’t felt a sense of consistency in my general schedule which has contributed to me feeling a lack of consistency around exercise.

3. I’ve been tired (in the best way)! Life has felt very FULL lately, in the best of ways, and it has made me feel quite tired sometimes! My priorities have been on other aspects of my life – my relationship, my social life, a ton going on in my business, my family, travel, etc., and frankly, my body just hasn’t had as much energy for movement all the time.

So… between not feeling super excited about any particular kind of workout lately, plus a pretty jumbled schedule and feeling quite tired, I just haven’t been working out nearly as much.

And to be honest with you… yes, my body feels it.

I feel less toned.
I feel softer.
I miss my muscles.
I feel a bit out of shape.
My body isn’t particularly thrilled with me.

In the past, I would have been very disgruntled about all of this. I would have felt SO uncomfortable with my softer, less-in-shape body. I would have looked to some intense exercise regime to “get back in shape”.

I would have been hard on myself, talked to myself in a controlling and forceful way, and become very rigid and stressed about FIXING the situation.

But these days… because I allow my body to change overtime, and I allow my priorities to shift overtime, and I allow myself to go through different phases in all areas of my life… it’s really no big deal.

Here’s how I’m thinking about my lack of exercise now:

1. It’s a phase. Yep, it is justttt a phase. There are times when working out a lot feels awesome, and times when it feels next to impossible. There are times when I love morning workouts and times when I’d rather sleep. Times when it fits easily into my schedule, and times when I’d rather prioritize 15 other things instead. It’s just a phase, and I know that because my body naturally likes to feel good, and movement generally feels good, that at some point, I will begin to really want to prioritize it again and I’ll figure it out. Summer is almost over, Fall is around the corner, life is constantly changing, and this is just a phase.

2. I show my body love, even in her softer moments. With a lack of exercise, comes a less fit body. It makes me a little sad to touch my arms and barely feel any muscle. Or touch my stomach and feel how soft it feels. But, it’s also not the end of the world. My ability to feel loved, to allow myself to enjoy my life, or to feel good about myself isn’t tied to how toned or soft my body is. I recognize the changes, and I also know that it’s FOR NOW, not forever. Again, I’m in a particular phase, and that could change. The more we release attachment to our bodies HAVING to look a certain way to feel loved / accepted / admired / confident, the more we can allow them to change with ease and grace.

3. I’m slowwwllly shifting toward whatever is next. Instead of panicking and “needing” to fix this situation (which stems from fear around our bodies changing), I am recognizing that my body needs some extra TLC, and slowly researching next steps. I am in touch with my old yoga studio to try to potentially rejoin now that the summer is winding down, I’ve been dancing in my apartment and doing mini 10 minute improv yoga sessions to squeeze in some movement when I can feel my body desperately needs it, and I’m thinking about how to better structure my time in the next few months to start prioritizing exercise more. It’s a slow shift out of love for myself, not a panicked radical shift out of fear (which is what I would have done in the past).

So the key things that are helping me be in this exercise funk with ease and grace are:

Embracing that it’s just a phase.
Showing my body love no matter what.
Slowly, calmly moving toward what will make me feel better.

As you’ve probably heard me say so many times already… life is a wild ride and we are much better off if we learn to ride the waves.

If we let things ebb and flow.
If we allow for phases and “seasons” in our lives.
If we let change happen – both to us and within us.

So as I am trying to ride the wave of my exercise funk, I hope that if you’re there with me, that this helps you ride the wave a little more fluidly, too.

In the comments below, I’d love to know where you’re at with exercise these days. Are you in a groove? Are you feeling stuck? Did anything here resonate with you?

Sending you lots of love!
Jamie