The Harder You Work(out)…
Before I complete the sentence, let me explain the two types of “work” I’m referring to here:
- Physical work you put your body through when you exercise
- The work you put in everyday at your job and at home
You’ve heard the term “work-life balance” before, but I might have a slightly different definition than you are used to:
I believe that the harder you work and/or workout, the harder you should rest.
Let me explain.
Think for moment how a pendulum works. You pull it up on one side as high as you want and when you let go, it swings in the opposite direction and stops at exactly the same height you let it go at.
(So that’s what my year of Physics in college prepared me for… this example. I’m kidding. I love physics. I’ll take it over chemistry in a heartbeat.)
Okay, back to the pendulum and let’s start with exercise.
Suppose that the left side of the pendulum accounts for how hard you currently workout (i.e. your exercise intensity).
Sometimes it helps to think of it by using a scale of 1-10: 1 would be a very easy workout for you and 10 would be pushing yourself to absolute physical limit.
The harder you workout (i.e. the greater the intensity of your workouts), the higher your pendulum would be pulled up to the left.
If the left side of the pendulum is how hard you exercise, the right side would be the opposite – how hard you rest and recover.
Now, imagine pulling that pendulum to the height of your exercise intensity and then letting it go. What would happen?
Of course, the pendulum would swing to the right and its apex would land exactly at the height it was on the left when you let it go.
What I’m suggesting when it comes to exercise is that in order to stay healthy, fit, and injury-free in the long-term, you must rest as hard as you work out.
So, if you’ve just had a really hard workout, you’ll want to make sure that you do what you need to do to recover. Again, in the long run, this will help you not only stay healthy and injury-free, but you’re more likely to see the physical results you desire this way.
By the way, rest and recovery could mean a lot of things – a long bath, icing your knees, a full body massage (my favorite), etc.
Now, shouldn’t the same true in our work (i.e. your job/career) and home life (i.e. errands, home maintenance)?
Consider all the “doing” you put yourself through on a regular basis, again at work and at home.
How many (wo)man hours do you think you put in?
Or, what percentage of your time and energy is spent working and keeping up your home and family?
Perhaps you pull the ball of the pendulum up to the left based on how much you have on your plate and how hard you work.
If and when you do let it go, does the pendulum swing as hard to the right?
If not, will you make a commitment today to give yourself something from the right?
What do you NEED?
What do you WANT?
I don’t think we ask ourselves this often enough as women. But, like our physical bodies, it’s vital that we balance “work” with rest and recovery if we want to perform at our best. The same should be true with our work life and home life.
It’s my mission to help you live your healthiest and most fulfilling life in your fifties. This means making time not just for work (and working out), but also for rest, play, relaxation, fun, or for what one of my clients likes to say “carefree mindlessness”.
Give yourself permission to give yourself a gift from the “right” side.
I realize that I’ve been closing my blogs with the same few words. I think you need to hear them so I’ll say it here once again…
You’re worth it.
