sol #4: figure out what you need

Do you ever get mad at yourself for not doing something you know is good for you? I've had this ongoing battle with exercise. I'd have gym memberships, or yoga studio memberships, and I just would blow money and not use them. And, even worse, I would beat myself up for not going.

Until January.

In January I finally figured out what I needed to make it work for me. I realized that I do not like to work out after school, well, except Fridays. All of the teachers out there can attest to this - you're emotionally drained after a day teaching. I think it's simply because we respond to the needs of others all day. Kids need things: to use the bathroom, to borrow a pencil, to talk to you about a disagreement they had, to get a hug because something went wrong. The adults we collaborate with need things, too. To send them a document. To complete some survey. To fill out paperwork. To provide feedback. To plan an event. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has felt completely drained after work each day.

Which is why I don't have the energy to go to the yoga studio during the week.

So in January, I finally found my system that works for me. The system where I don't have to feel guilty. The system where I can take what I need when I need it.

Fridays after school is when my  yoga routine starts. I'm part of the Studio Experience Team, where we do 90 minutes of cleaning in the studio and then get unlimited yoga at a much more affordable rate. So Fridays after school, I run over there, complete my shift, and then end my week in Hot Power Fusion.

Then I take a Sculpt class on Saturday and a C2 class on Sunday. Monday through Thursday, I teach and coach and maybe meet a friend after that, but there are no longer days that I beat myself up for not doing something more than I want to.

I finally made a routine work for me. And now I'm just left wondering, why did this take me so long to figure out?