My little family has been fighting off cold and flu for the last week (including my hubby who’s overseas without his lovely wife to care for him) and it’s been a doozy. There were fevers and chills and aches and copious amounts of cough syrup. We’re done with the worst of it and even though my head is still congested, I’m feeling a little clearer about some things.
- I don’t like water. It’s boring and I have to force myself to drink it because I know it’s good for me but I really don’t enjoy it. I will never be a 3 litre a day kinda person, but some is better than none and I’m working on it.
- Rest is good. Our time back in Nova Scotia was busy. I had a big event to work on and follow up meetings and visits to squeeze in. Flying across the country isn’t much fun by yourself, let alone with 2 busy children. Being under the weather forced me to go to bed early (every night for a week!) and it was glorious! I missed my daily workouts and I cannot wait to go for a run, but I don’t regret the extra snuggles with my kids and all the extra sleep.
- I’m a better person when I exercise. I only got in 2 workouts last week and while I could wallow in fitness guilt, I won’t. I recognize that I enjoy getting sweaty and out of breath and I love feeling stronger and faster. Exercise helps me feel in control and it’s an important part of my self-care and health routine. Everyday that I can get even a short workout in is a great day.
- Guilt and shame need to take a hike. Missing workouts, not eating as many veggies as recommended and maybe eating more pie than recommended build up this wall of guilt and shame and I start chastising myself with “shoulds”. I should’ve had more water today. I shouldn’t have had that beer. I should’ve eaten more veggies.Should, should, should. How is this helpful? It’s not. Yes, I’m in the middle of a fitness and nutrition program where I’m encouraged to eat TONS of veggies and drink 3 Litres of water a day and I’m not killing it the way I’d like to. I’m going to stop feeling guilty about it and instead focus on the healthy choices I can make today, like all those beautiful beets I’m going to cook up for supper instead of making pasta. And that HIIT workout I’m going to do before my daughter comes home from school. Just because I had a piece of amazing key lime pie doesn’t mean I have to beat myself up for it. Eat the damn pie and carry on.
- Judgement. Moms judge each other and themselves a lot. Being yucky for a week had me sporting sweats and messy hair and opened my eyes to how quickly we snap to judgement. Yes, my kids is wearing his pjs…he’s not feeling great and they make him feel comfy and cozy. No, we didn’t go to church or Sunday school last week. We were all feeling gross and decided to spare the congregation our germs. When I see a mom out there in the world doing her thing, I’m reminding myself that we’re all doing the best we can and maybe she feels awful and her husband is away on an unexpected trip and she’s doing it by herself. Maybe her kid is having a bad day and she’s just trying to survive it.
I’m really going to make more of an effort to get back to work and out of cozy-stay-at-home mode, but at least my week wasn’t wasted. I got lots of snuggles, spent a lot of time with my children, and even gained some clarity on some things. Well, it’s clearly time for me to drink some water and get that workout in. What are you clear on?
Mindset Events 