Rest is Not a Four Letter Word

I skipped two workouts this week... big deal, right?! Actually, for me, it IS!

I have worked out every weekday and participated in "active rest" most weekends (biking, yoga, walking or playing outside with the kids) for the past two years (and at least three times a week the 10 years before that). I did squats two hours postpartum and didn't miss a workout when I nearly tore my rotator cuff or the day after each of my skin biopsies. Sounds a little extreme as I write it, but exercise has always been a critical part of my life...

An (over?) active child, I was always in motion. My parents got me involved in gymnastics when I was just six years old (now that I have a natural tumbler myself I recognize this decision was likely made to save their furniture and protect me from serious injury). When diagnosed with an eating disorder in high school (to this day, I believe it was an incorrect assessment, but it changed my life forever), I decided to show the doctors I could be the "best" andused exercise as a tool to keep weight off.

Later, when I had a very stressful job with a long commute, my mom helped me restore my emotional health and learn to (once again) exercise healthfully by signing me up with a personal trainer. The studio was on my way home and the appointments scheduled in advance so I couldn't back out. After about two months of learning correct techniques and building my confidence with the different equipment, it became a habit... that I couldn't break.

I hear so much about the benefits of exercise, and I recognize its tremendous effect on not only my physical health but also my emotional outlook. But as I learn more about margin, I also realize that too much of a good thing (even something as good as exercise) can drain personal reserves which are essential for maintaining balance in all other areas of my life. When I force myself to get up and work out every morning at 5am, I have less to "give" my children (less patience for whining, less sympathy for mistakes, less tolerance for misbehavior). So, in keeping with my practice, I slept in TWO times this week.

In truth, I was worried that:

• I would fall out of the routine,
• I would not be able to lift as much at my next session,
• my moods would suffer (my natural tendency towards depression drives a lot of my regular exercise habits).

But, I am happy to report that none of these fears came true. In fact, I am stronger in mind and spirit and have more energy for my family ("sure, we can spend another hour at the playground"), my house ("I have a little time, let me wash the kitchen floor and clean the bathroom") and myself ("I'm going to walk to the grocery store rather than take the car") as a result.

Do you have a love/hate relationship with exercise? Do you find it hard to stick to an exercise routine or do you find it more difficult to stray from the habits you have adopted over the years? How do you "recharge your batteries" when life is stressful or you feel unusually fatigued?