Lately I’ve been feeling a bit low. Not with life in general, but rather with myself.
I’ve felt like the days are just passing by while I’m kind of stuck at this low-ness.
I know part of it probably has to do with everything going on in the world right now,
and that’s something we’re all dealing with, one way or the other.
But I also think it’s because I’ve kind of lost myself a little in the midst of it
all. I haven’t really been taking care of myself, not mentally or physically.
I haven’t been sleeping well, I’ve been really low on energy which has had a negative
effect on my mood and that has ultimately affected my sense of self.
It’s been as if I’ve just kind of let the days pass by, waiting for “the normal”
to return. But what I’ve had to come to terms with is that, we really don’t know
how long all of this will be going on for.
We can do our part and we should do our part, but the rest is out of our control.
And that’s always how it is in life.
Regardless of what it is we’re going through.
But the one thing we do have control over is the control over ourselves: what we do,
how we think and how we behave. And sometimes, we need something to remind
us of that.
Sometimes, that reminder comes in the form of something new.
A challenge.
A push.
And in being at a low point, I knew I needed just that.
And one thing that’s given me that feeling in the past has been workout challenges. I
did one about a year and a half ago and it was completely transformative. It was a 94
day challenge, I made a video about it, I’ll link it below if you’re interested.
And so, I decided to give that a go again, but I was going to start with two weeks.
Now, the objective was simple: I wanted a challenge that would be tough enough to where
I’d really need to push myself, but not tough to the extent that I’d feel discouraged.
Ultimately, I just wanted something that was good for me, and that would make me feel good.
I decided to document the two weeks. Not just filming it, but also through detailed daily
journal entries, and I wanted to keep track of the four things I touched on earlier: my
sleep, my energy levels, my mood and my sense of self.
As for the workouts, here are some specifics:
I decided to do most of them outdoors in nature or at home. The gyms here in Stockholm are
still open since Sweden is not under lockdown, so, most places are open. But I still choose
not to go to any gyms or studios.
I also decided to get the workouts in either before breakfast or before lunch, since historically,
that’s what’s worked best for me.
I didn’t follow any particular workout program. I mean, I’ve been working out on and off
for a few years now so I’ve sort of built my own routine and so I decided to just go
with that; it mostly consisted of jogging, running, and weight training.
As for diet, I didn’t make any major adjustments to my diet. I mean, I do eat pretty healthy
normally, so I just kept it up.
I also want to say that prior to this challenge, I had probably worked out two times in the
past month or so. I checked the health app on my phone, I have no idea how legit it is,
but according to that, on some days, I had walked less than 30 steps. On one day I had
walked 13 steps. Yeah. Now, as for the challenge, the first few days
were tough. My body felt extremely stiff, and I quickly learned that working out outdoors
is a lot tougher than, say, going to the gym. You’ve got the uneven roads, the strong
winds and the snow, all in the same day.
If you’re from Sweden, you know what I’m talking about.
But it was also a lot more fun and refreshing than exercising indoors.
After just one day, I was already really excited about it all, which, normally, when I get
back into exercising after having taken time off, it takes some time for me to regain that
sense of excitement.
Perhaps it was as simple as the outdoors environment being more compelling than the inside of the
gym or studio.
Now, that doesn’t mean every day was fantastic. I remember one day, I think it was day nine,
I just really didn’t feel like it. And there was another day where I had a lot of work
that I needed to get done and so the last thing I wanted to do was to go outside for
a run, but I did push through it, and that’s what matters.
Now, after the two weeks had passed, I reflected back on my notes.
I do want to say that there is no way for me to know for sure that physical activity
has been the only reason for why some things changed for me. There might have been other
contributing factors, but that’s the only thing I changed about my routine. And since
this wasn’t a scientific study, I simply can’t know that.
Anyway, here are some of the things that I noted:
My sleep had had gotten significantly better. I’d sleep through the night instead of waking
up multiple times which was something I hadn’t done in weeks. I also went from feeling constantly-ready-for-a-nap
during the day to feeling balanced.
Now, naps aren’t a bad thing, and we’re actually reading a book all about sleep in
the book club. To join that and read along, check the link in the description box.
As for my mood, it’s definitely not like “oh, I exercised every day for two weeks
and I’m so happy all the time now, my life has completely transformed”. But what was
affecting my mood prior to the challenge was, to a large extent, my lack of sleep and energy.
And now that I’m not dealing with that anymore, at least not to the same extent, I feel more
balanced.
And finally, my sense of self. No one likes looking themselves in the mirror only to see
a sack of beans that hasn’t moved from the couch in three days. It’s just not a good
feeling. But ever since starting this challenge and being consistent and dedicated, I don’t
feel that way about myself. I see someone who at least tries, and that’s not what
I saw a few weeks ago.
Now, saying that something has changed your life is a bold statement. But then again,
if something changes your sleep, your energy levels, your mood and your sense of self for
the better, then… I’d say that’s changing part of your life, at least in some way.
Now, I’m definitely going to continue exercising. Not every day, because, your body does need
rest, but I want to keep pushing myself to the point where it’s challenging, but not
to the point where it becomes discouraging, which is what I think happens often times.
But I do really want to encourage you to try something like this out. Exercise is free
and it can be done anywhere. You don’t need a fancy yoga mat or workout clothes. You don’t
need anything. You just need your body, your mindset and perhaps a YouTube tutorial. And
since you’re here, it means you have access to that, too.
So,
What’s your excuse?
Now, if you’re interested in the journaling entries that I kept during those two weeks,
I’ll be uploading them on my Patreon. I really appreciate all the support that I get
there and it helps me keeping this channel up and running so, if you would like to, feel
free to check it out. I will leave the link below.
Thank you so much for watching, I’ll see you in the comment section.