The follow article was published in the Dairy Girl Network March Newsletter, be sure to check out all of the great articles in their amazing newsletter and their resources!
How to Fit Exercise into your Busy Life Schedule?
*Disclaimer: I am not
a trainer or coach, just a dairy girl offering some practical advice to help
make exercise a part of your daily life. www.dairywomanstrong.blogspot.com
We all know exercise is important to healthy living but
let’s be real it takes time and commitment and we’re all very busy women. A few weeks ago a post on the DGN page shared
some favorite ways to de-stress, many of those comments included physical
activity. Personally, for years exercise
was not a priority and I paid for it dearly in my mental, emotional and
physical health. I let the craziness of
the farm dictate my diet and lifestyle choices which yielded very poor results. I had no energy, even with sleep I felt
tired. Slowly, small changes really
started to change my attitude, self-confidence and physical health. For me the actual act of unplugging from the
hectic schedule at work and the farm forces me to relax, think, recharge and heal
my body and soul. Besides the physical
benefits of exercise there are many social, psychological, mental and spiritual
benefits. So we know it’s good for us,
how do we fit exercise in?
·
Write down your goal to have physical activity
at least 5 times a week, giving yourself a couple days to “cheat” and take a
break. We all know writing down goals is
an important first step.
·
Pick a time of day that you can consistently
commit to, for me it was right after feeding calves in the evening.
·
Start small and light, perhaps 30 minute walks
or biking around your neighborhood (be sure to wave hello to the neighbors when
you pass by!).
·
Sign up for a local 5k, thereby setting a
deadline and a goal to train for. Represent
Team Dairy while you train by refueling with chocolate milk!
·
Choose a variety of activities: I do everything
from running, walking, hiking, biking, and even dance cardio in my
basement. Mix it up!
·
Play with your kids! This totally counts! I don’t have children but I will gladly go
running with my nieces! Plus this makes some great memories for your kids!
·
Schedule time to work out with your
friends. Some of the best workouts I had
were when I helped a friend train for a marathon. My friend ran while I rode bike with
her. It was almost effortless to workout
with someone, plus we had time to talk to each other and we had each other to
keep accountable.
·
Bring tunes or your favorite podcasts! I love my phone and ear buds! Walks and runs are the perfect time to catch
up on your favorite podcasts, audiobooks or even listen to some spiritual music
to get in the right state of mind.
·
Make sure you are getting enough sleep, drinking
plenty of water and making moderate food choices. All of these factor into your energy level
and total health.
·
Give yourself permission to take time for
yourselves. When we are better versions
of ourselves we are better wives, mothers, friends, co-workers, bosses, and
women. Be sure to give yourself
permission to take care of yourself, because you are worth it!
 |
| Enjoying a beautiful day for a hike/run in the woods, complete with my favorite podcasts for meditation time. |
No comments:
Post a Comment
I write this blog to share my passion for my cows and farming, please be respectful of that. I reserve the right to delete those comments which portray hate, call names, and are out right disrespectful. If you have an honest question, I will respond, to explain what we do on our farm, why we do it and how we do it. Please read with an open mind. My time to blog is short, as most of our days are spent caring for our beloved cows. Thank you!