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I had a good reminder about exercise on Monday. I had dealt with a 3 hour crisis at work, followed by a few more hours of work without a break. I was so completely focused on handling the situation that at 4:30 pm I realized that I hadn’t had anything to drink since 9:30 that morning- yikes! I had been planning on biking when I got home from work (using my new bike trainer!), but after the crisis I was pretty wiped out.
That’s the thing with adrenaline inducing events. It allows you to focus in the moment, but leaves you pretty drained and tired afterwards. I had about an hour of thinking that I wasn’t going to bike because what I really wanted to do was sit on my couch and eat a warm bowl of soup (I did that later on in the evening anyways).
Instead, when I got home, I made a decision based on what I cognitively knew was healthy, not based on what I really felt that I wanted in the moment. After 40 minutes of spinning my extra energy out, I felt much better. I was able to relax the rest of the evening and I slept pretty well. I don’t think I’d have been nearly relaxed without spinning it out.
It was a good reminder to me how much our mental and physical health is connected. There are plenty of things in our life that happen that make us want to sit instead of exercise at the end of the day. While sometimes that definitely is the right call, for me the decision to bike even though I didn’t feel like it at the moment was the best decision that I could’ve made.
Taking care of ourselves mentally means taking care of ourselves physically. I biked, took a shower, ate a warm bowl of soup, and watched a few episodes of NCIS… because really, what goes better with a mental health crisis than some murder? I mean- fake, scripted murder. Not real life.
Motto of the story- go ride a bike, or run, or do pilates, or swim- just move, even when you don’t necessarily feel like it. It’ll be good for you physically AND mentally.
Journey to Wellness 
Just followed you over here from a comment on Health on the Run’s blog (it was the Chocolate Peppermint Oatmeal link that drew me in :)).
I have often marveled about how sometimes the last thing I want to do is exercise but it always makes me feel better. The only times I have regretted exercising was when I knew I was pushing myself too much and ended up injured (should have taken a rest day). The rest of the times I always ALWAYS feel better even if exercising is the last thing I want to do. I wonder why that is.
I’ve been in a downward spiral of not being busy at work (slow time of year) – eating crap (desserts everywhere!) – and not exercising (gym membership expired and am waiting for the new year deals). I need to do what I know will be best, not want I want to do in the moment (sit on the couch and eat more chocolate).
Ooh- definitely try the oatmeal. It’s delicious! I agree with you. The times I’ve regretted exercising are when I started back from an injury too soon or gone too hard/long in whatever I’m doing. Yes- think about what you want long term, and then choose actions today that get you to that (but give yourself a little chocolate here and there too!).
Oh man, I’ve had so many ‘I just want to do nothing but sit on the couch and watch Law and Order when I get home’ moments in the last few weeks. I totally agree that exercising even when you don’t really feel like it is never a mistake–it can only help after a stressful day. Glad you got your soup and couch time in, too!