For the past week, I’ve been battling a cold. And although I wasn’t 100% better, I decided to go back to cycle class yesterday. Although I had a good excuse for missing class, I still had a hard time justifying missing class because I felt like I was slacking, being lazy, doing nothing.
Life Hack #1 – Rest is a vital part of life, even when you think you don’t need it.
If you ever been to an indoor cycle class, you know that those classes aren’t for punks! LOL. It’s designed for you to sweat away the fat and build muscles.
When I first decided to go back to class, I thought that I would just take it easy since it’s been 6 days since I last worked out. My goal was just to get through it, not to win a race or burn a certain number of calories.
But when I got to my 5:30AM class at @cyclebar, I started to regret the decision. My nose was still a bit stuffy. I still had some congestion. And I just didn’t FEEL like working out. But I showed up anyway, got my shoes on and started to pedal.
Life Hack #2 – Showing up is truly half the battle.
Then, something magical happened. As I began to follow the prompting of my cycle instructor, I began to feel better. As I started to feel better, I allowed myself to do more than just the bare minimum that I had planned on doing. My brain told me that I need to ease back into class because it’s been a week and I had been sick.
Life Hack #3 – You are much stronger than you think you are. You just have to prove it to yourself.
Before I knew it, class was over. After class, my calories, class rankings, and power output are all emailed to me. And guess what? I ranked #2 in class during one of the sprints. I burned more calories in 45 minutes than I had done in the previous week. And my power output was much greater than last week.
I was thoroughly surprised at my results! I had given myself such a hard time for resting for a week while I recovered from a cold. I completely missed the fact that I needed to rest. I need to relax my mind and my body.
Life Hack #4 – Listen to your body and give yourself what you need when you need it.
After a week’s worth of rest, I came back just as strong as I was before, if not better. Who knew?!?!
This episode reminded me of some sage advice I received when I first became a coach. She told me:
“Schedule at least one weekend a month of no work. Schedule one whole week if you can. You need the time to pour back into yourself so that you can replenish the energy that you give out to others.”
I encourage you to do the same. Schedule a weekend, once a month, to rest and rejuvenate yourself. The world won’t die. The house won’t burn down. When you give yourself what you need when you need it, you’ll be able to be more energetic, more productive, and have more mental clarity. You’ll pick up right where you left off without missing a single beat.
Try it! I dare you!
