It genuinely baffles me how once upon a time a rest day or at least a day where I didn’t ‘have’ to exercise would of been a treat. I’ve always been a pretty active girl but only in recent months have I become what I would describe as ‘dependent’ upon exercise.
Now playing devils advocate I’ve realised that although exercise is my main tool for daily nurturing of my mental health, I personally need to strengthen the other tools for when exercise is not possible.
I’m sat with my hips above knee height, a heat pack on each side of my back and experiencing shooting pains down my left leg due to this b**ch of a nerve trap, sciatica. If I was content with lying still all day this might actually be quite a nice break from daily routine but I’m not and so it’s not, it’s quite frankly and ironically a pain in the ass.
Obviously whilst keeping things relative I am mindful that it is just that, a slight annoyance, a frustration and a pain that will pass, so in that respect I am extremely grateful it’s very temporary and nothing a bit of flossing and naproxen won’t sort….however back to the actual reason for this blog….what do I do when I can’t exercise?
I get inpatient, I get cabin fevery, I get irritable and I get bored. And this time round, after exercising extensively for months and eating nutritious delicious meals I’m even more conscious of being still incase I suddenly slip back into old habits. I’ve done gentle walks, I’ve been on the bike and planning to swim alongside some stretches but vigorous exercise is out the window until the nerve is released, so I’ve been thinking what else I can do. As we all know, I swear by physical activity and exercise, however I do have a couple of other techniques in my locker than I’m going to have to prioritise over the next couple of days.
I’m thinking meditation, breathwork~ this should be a really good one as I can breathe into the pain areas and mindfully give my immune system a boost. Yoga or stretching ~ at least this one I can put gym clothes on and feel like i’m working out to some extent. Nutritious meals ~ diet does not have to change, however if I’m not busy busy all day, those moments of boredom that I’d normally be exercising, might accidentally find themselves in the fridge, so I need to acknowledge and avoid those times. Perhaps some painting!
It’s a tricky one because sitting still for long periods is not advised so maybe I’ll be interval training yoga with active recovery of painting.
It’s a reminder to me that I must ensure I practise other methods of self care and well-being support for myself, so that when times like this arise, I don’t experience, to this extent, the frustration of not being able to exercise!