There is a beautiful thing happening right now, even in the midst of the darkness this pandemic has caused.

People are rediscovering a love for moving their bodies.

Many across the country are finding ways to get outside and simply take a walk or stay indoors and do a home workout (using whatever equipment they can find!).  

And why is this such a beautiful thing?  

Because the hope is that more and more people will realize exercise is not meant to be a punishment or something you should do or have to do.  Rather, it can be something that sustains you…bringing many health benefits and a greater quality of life along with it.  

Keep in mind, however, that exercise (and all of your health habits!) are meant to serve you, not the other way around.  

In times like these, it’s important to check in with yourself to understand what health habits would be helpful to you.  Habits like exercise, while something that produces so many benefits, is still a stressor.  

When you exercise, you’re putting a stress on your body, which tells it to produce favorable adaptations so it can be prepared to do those movements in the future, should you ask it to do so.  This is a wonderful thing, unless…

You’re already under a lot of stress.

Though exercise is a “good’ stressor, it is still a stressor.  We all have an allostatic load, or an amount of stress we can handle¹.  In times when your stress levels are low, exercise-even intense exercise-can be a wonderful tool to help you feel your best.  But at times when stress is high, adding an additional stressor, even a good stressor like exercise, will cause harm.  This could show up in a variety of ways, from simply feeling overwhelmed to getting sick because your immune system can’t keep up.

Taking a moment to recognize how you’re doing and what your current stress level is can help you see what the next best step for your health would be.  In the case of exercise, perhaps that next step is one of the following…

1. Simply starting to add more movement into your life
2. Your usual exercise routine
3. A gentler form of exercise
4. A rest day

But quite possibly exercise and other health habits are the farthest thing from your mind.  

Perhaps access to safe places to exercise or healthy food isn’t an option right now.  Perhaps you’ve lost your job and are simply trying to keep food on the table and the lights on.  

As Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs shows us, we must meet our basic needs (food, water, warmth, rest, and safety) before we’re able to move toward thinking about other privileges like being physically active².  If this is what you are experiencing right now, perhaps the most beneficial thing for you to do is provide yourself grace and surround yourself with the love and support of others. 

As you consider your current stress level and how health habits fit into that, we hope you’ll feel empowered to take the next step that serves your health and sustains you…right now, where you are.  And we’ll be here, cheering you on.

Written by Brittni Paris
Wellness Coach & Blogger

Sources:
Photo by Sue Zeng on Unsplash
¹https://www.precisionnutrition.com/good-stress-bad-stress
² https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html