Taking it Back
- Jul 20, 2018
- 3 min read
This blog post has been in the works for several weeks, and I think I have finally over-thought every possible way of saying what I try to say, plus some. So, here is a lot of randomness, a bit of thought, and a little about me.
I have always been an active person. I love to sweat and I thrive off of the endorphins from working out. I love pushing myself to be better than I was yesterday, and I love feeling my body getting strong because that means my mind is getting stronger too.
challenging at times of intense activity or periods of sedentariness, but for the most part I love how exercising helps my blood sugar be more stable and in range.
I have been and still am fighting Chronic Lyme Disease and chronic pain. Some days all I want to do is lay in bed. But, most days, lately, my body craves movement. I am consistently getting stronger and my endurance continues to increase. I took a job this summer coaching soccer. I was worried at first. But, now I'm learning to take every day as its own, and listening to my body is the most important thing I can do. Coaching is a physical challenge more than anything, but the physical challenge is making me mentally stronger. Some days are harder than most, but knowing that I am strong enough to overcome the pain for just a few hours to make a difference in kids' lives is incredibly empowering. I feel very grateful for the opportunity to rediscover my love for soccer, and to take back my passion for fitness and getting in shape.
Now, when I say in shape I mean having endurance and strength, to be able to withstand intense physical exertion without feeling like dying. Being in shape, to me, has always been more about feeling strong than looking strong, physically and mentally. (Of course, I'll take the physical appearance aspects of staying active and being in shape, but it's not necessarily my why I love working out.) The endorphin high from a HIIT circuit or a run makes my heart so happy, and I'm so enjoying that feeling again. Soccer used to be my life, and when I quit I had a tough time figuring out how I was going to stay in shape and remain active. I turned to yoga and attending random fitness classes at my gym. It took me a while to realize that those classes wouldn't ever replace the feeling of running on a soccer field for hours at a time, and my yoga practice would definitely never feed my competitiveness the same as a game. I soon let all of that go because I started to get sick shortly after I quit soccer. And then my plan of finding my new thing went down the drain. I physically was not who I was. And that was terrifying.
Fast forward three years, a lot of rest and reflection, a high school diploma, a gap year and living in three different states to now.
I get to be competitive in other areas of my life, and I am finally able to go for a run without my body feeling like it's been hit by a truck. I experience the freedom of having an abled-body, every single day. I get to love the feeling of sore muscles. I continue to practice yoga, but now it's not necessarily to stay physically in shape, but to challenge myself to try new things, to let go of the fear of falling on my face, to be flexible, and many other reasons. The physical aspects of my yoga practice is just a fraction of the benefits from time spent on my mat. I'm so grateful that I'm in a place health-wise that I have been able to make my yoga practice into an outlet to work on my mental fitness, and as a result I am now able to use other methods and activities to work on my physical fitness.
My goal with this blog and as a student, as a coach, friend, sister, daughter, and human is to simply use my story, knowledge and experiences to inspire you to figure out how to make your heart happy. I want to, eventually, provide you with the resources and tools to find balance between your mental and physical health. With that said, I hope to continue to share my journey - the ups and downs, the good and bad, the active and sedentary - with you and inspire you to do what makes your heart happy.
Best,
Elise
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