Have you ever had one of those days where life just didn’t go as you planned?  I know I have – we all have our emotional peaks and valleys.  There are days that we feel on top of the world, and there are days that we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders.  In fact, unfair as it may be, there are times that we pour our heart and soul into something, and it turns out to be a miserable failure….and on the other side of the coin, there are times that we stumble into greatness, and are left wondering “What the hell just happened?”

I’m sure you’re asking yourself right about now, “What does this have to do with fitness?”  Well, it actually has a lot to do with fitness, and exercise.  Exercise can provide a mental time out that helps us recover and recharge our batteries.  For me, it often provides a certain mental clarity after I’m done, and actually helps me tackle whatever issue I’m dealing with.  Exercise releases endorphins, reduces stress, and actually energizes the body.  It’s great for mental health and clarity, and actually can help raise you up out of the emotional and mental valleys so common in everyday life. 

Exercise doesn’t have to mean hitting the gym for a two-hour workout, like what we see featured in the fitness magazines.  It just means get out there and move!  I like the gym workouts, but sometimes I just don’t have it in me, so I go for a walk instead…or, I grab one of my #KIST workouts, and get a quick, 20-minute intense workout. 

When it comes to working out, my go to thing is Lifting The Things…. lifting heavy weight!  It is so satisfying to lift a ton of weight – I feel good afterword’s, accomplished!  But there are other things I enjoy as well – a walk with the dogs is a great way to unplug and refresh.  Just seeing the pure joy in them and experiencing a little time outdoors helps immensely.

On another note – when life has you down, you sometimes don’t feel like a workout…. like you have no motivation and just want to unplug from life entirely.  Some of my best workouts have come during these times – I’ll often find that if I just get started, I suddenly become motivated and have a great workout.  In fact, some of my best PR’s have come on days like this. 

So the moral of the story is – just get started, usually it ends up going great.  If it doesn’t – well, you can quit after a few minutes, call it a day, and nothing’s lost.