Running on Empty?
The tale of a pandemic, modern day civil rights movement, and the toll it takes.
I can’t express enough how much it means to me to make sure my clients are feeling supported and motivated during this time. The basis of Mutch Fitness is to not only pave the way to a healthier long term lifestyle, but to also create an environment where you’re comfortable – even if outside of your normal comfort zone.
There are some unforeseen circumstances that have really thrown a wrench into many of my clients workouts. Usually it is an injury, schedule change, life changing event, or something that ebbs and flows over time. Right now it’s the pandemic, social justice movements – both of which come with a need to maintain our mental health in order to avoid ending up in a low place.
When the pandemic hit, I actually had several new clients join me – gyms were closed, motivation was lost, and movement was at a standstill. There were no excuses, because for the most part (except for my essential working clients), everyone was working from home. But as the pandemic settled into our lives, I saw the struggle hit home for many.
This is not a ‘just push through it’ time, although I do believe that for myself, my wife, and many clients, that working out is essential to keeping mental health in a positive place. It’s also useful to help keep structure during a difficult time. If this works for you – then you’re likely still working out. If it doesn’t, then you’re not alone and that’s alright too. There is no shame in needing a reset, a couple weeks off, or a long period of time off. One of the things I have witnessed throughout my coaching with Mutch Fitness, is that the perfect mix of flexibility and accountability, can help motivate someone who is working out or taking a break.
Right before people take time off, I sense a feeling of worthlessness, “What’s the point?”, or some other form of “I don’t even have my shit together, how can I even workout?”, but the fact is you really should feel quite the opposite. You’re realizing that maybe the time spent working out isn’t amounting to much because the drive and motivation is not there, which isn’t worthless, but if you can get more out of it during a reset, then it’s time for that. There’s nothing wrong with that. There’s nothing wrong with you.
Right now, social media is full of hate, painful facts about the history of Black Americans mistreatment and oppression, fear of the impact of COVID-19 as political leaders are opening states up, and more. Just reading for 10 minutes makes me feel tense and uneasy. We are all on Instagram or Facebook multiple times a day and working out takes me away from that to at least decompress, collect my thoughts, and continue to move forward. Life is about balance and spending energy on important, thoughtful, beneficial things – no matter what they are. If it doesn’t benefit you in a positive way – get rid of it, move forward, and make sure in the end you have given yourself a structure and lifestyle that incorporates what is important to you.