There are a lot of reasons one needs a fitness routine. It’s good for your physical health, mental health, it helps you set a good example for your children… and that’s only the beginning. I know that it’s easy to have an on again off again relationship with fitness that doesn’t quite qualify as a “routine,” and I know (from experience) that that just doesn’t cut it! I got my butt in gear and found a fitness routine that works for me and my life and I made it STICK! It’s been the best thing I ever did for myself and there’s a million reasons why YOU need a fitness routine in 2021, too, but here’s at least five of them. 🙂
I was staring down the barrel of my thirtieth birthday when I decided… I realized that no magic was coming to save me. No eternal dose of motivation was impending. I had been telling myself for years that I would commit to a fitness routine. Running, walking, yoga…anything. Every New Year, birthday, Monday, you name it… I was promising myself that I would work on this, truly commit to this, and somehow I never did. Sound familiar?
I think most women go through some variation of the same process, no? With like… anything that doesn’t directly benefit our families, friends, or careers. Women have a hard time committing to things that only directly benefit themselves. At least I know this was true for me. Women often perceive their own value through the lens of how much value they provide to others. (#guilty)
Not to beat you over the head with the “fill your own cup” mantra… but seriously. Fitness can “help you to carry so much more.” 😉 If that’s what you’re in to. Physical wellness truly does have value, friends.
1. Mental Health Goodness
One (maybe unexpected) benefit of maintaining my fitness routine has been concerning my mental health. Especially during the Work From Home Pandemic… it’s truly been a life saver. I can’t imagine the amount of sitting around I would have done (actually, specifically without Beachbody on this one) without a daily workout program. I fully believe that a lifestyle lacking movement as badly as Work From Home Quarantine Life facilitates is as bad for mental health as it is physical.
In 2020, we all needed a win on certain days, and it is nice to be able to provide that to yourself when you really need it. No matter how frequent of a fitness routine you have maintained in the past, you know that you felt good or proud of yourself after you finished exercising. In times of mental health strain, that’s a good little boost to have. I’m currently about 1.5 years into a consistent workout lifestyle, and I can confirm that you will still feel good about yourself every time you finish. 🙂
If your inner mean girl has grown accustomed to using your lack of movement as a way to bring you down, imagine how much better it would feel as a reason to pull you up. You deserve it.
Also, if you’re anything like a good feminist in the era of Trump supporters, working out is just really good for all that pent up rage. Healthy stress relief. 😉
2. Duh. MOVEMENT IS GOOD FOR YOU!
A second reason that you need a fitness routine heading into the wild unknown that is 2021… Physical Health. Like it or not… every day that passes you’re another day older. Now, I don’t really buy into the idea that turning thirty is the worst, but like… literally physically your body is aging everyday. I don’t know if it’s just me… but like… that freaks me out! Point being: It won’t get any easier by waiting longer. Preserve your health now!
But, beyond that… working from home means I sit LIKE ALL DAY. Pancake booty lifestyle. Also, that’s literally terrible for you! It puts you at risk for like a million health problems. Google that shit! MOVE YOUR BODY. Every damn day, work from home warriors. It’s necessary. My posture has improved so much since working out regularly, too. Grey broke his leg in November (because the universe is really testing me but that’s beside the point) and I physically have to carry him everywhere. I’m thankful for my newfound back endurance. Ha! Truly though, I want to preserve my body’s health while I can.
If you’re anything like me, and you have three soul sucking sweet angel babies that require your assistance from sunup to sundown and beyond everyday, then the natural energy boost you’ll experience with a regular fitness routine is an added bonus. And I’m going to need all the energy I can get if I’m going to rule the universe one day. 😉
Additionally, being strong is the shit.
3. Look Good, Feel Good
And, I won’t pretend to be some holier than thou vanity-less motivational speaker. It is hard to hate a body that you work so hard on and that applies when you’re at your goal weight or not. I won’t pretend that my fitness journey hasn’t taught me to accept my “imperfections?” in a whole new way, too, though. I don’t even know how else to explain it, but my broad shoulders don’t bother me as much when I consider how much they can lift.
When you feel good about how you look, you feel good. It is what it is.
4. Improve Your Relationship with Food
Also, working out regularly can improve your relationship with food. I haven’t followed a strict diet the entire time I have worked out. I sort of go with the flow of my life regarding how hardcore I am about healthy eating.
Do I notice an actual difference in how I feel when I eat healthy? Absolutely. Do I beat up on myself for eating Christmas cookies all the December long? No way. And even though I know a month of eating goodies shows up on my midsection… I don’t actually even care anymore. I know that I can be disciplined when I decide to be and that my Beachbody programs work. I know I’ll lose a few pounds after the Holidays and I’m totally okay with it. I’m totally not that diet-focused shredded fit chick. I’m that fit chick that really appreciates nachos. You gotta find whatever works for you, girlfriend.
5. Watchful Eyes
Yet another reason I love my fitness routine… my children are always watching. Not only does this set a good example for them, but my children get to watch me value my body everyday. Value and love it enough to care for it and prioritize it. My daughter gets to see me appreciate it when it’s not dolled up, not zipped up in my favorite jeans, but when it’s demonstrating strength.
I have only good things to say about maintaining my fitness routine for all this time, and I am so glad that I finally found what works for me. If you haven’t your “thing” yet, keep moving along! You’ll find something if you truly try! But 2020 sure isn’t giving this year any head start, so you definitely need a fitness routine in 2021!!
Cheers,
Amanda
