I don’t know about you, but as we transition into summer my calendar seems to be filling up faster than ever. With the warm weather comes many social gatherings, traveling, and a lot of opportunities for fun. The longer days also bring plenty of opportunities for movement. Although the opportunities for movement are plentiful, I find that it can be challenging to prioritize structured exercise and training sessions. 

If you’re like me and love playing sports, you probably are part of at least one league that has games this time of year. I am a part of the Sullivan County Women’s Softball League and the Town of Liberty Women’s Soccer League and this last week alone I played in three softball games and a soccer game. (If you aren’t in a league, I highly recommend joining one near you)! 

If you don’t play sports, you may find yourself moving more this time of year through walks, hikes, chasing children around the playground, swimming, biking, kayaking, or any one of hundreds of other ways to move your body. 

While softball and soccer games are definitely some of the most fun parts of my week and contribute to a lot of movement, I sometimes find myself skipping the gym because I am spending a lot of time moving my body through sports. You probably know by now that I am a huge advocate for movement of all kinds and don’t like to discriminate or say that one form of movement is better than another. All movement is excellent and helps us move toward health. We do need to consider our goals though and whether or not the type of movement we are prioritizing will help us reach them. 

When we’re looking to get back into a routine of structured exercise geared toward our goals, it’s very helpful to take time to reflect upon how we feel with and without these training sessions as a part of our life. Reflection will help us make connections between the actions we take and the way we feel as a result of those actions. 

When we take time to reflect on how our actions make us feel, it’s easier to be more intentional about taking action that moves us forward toward the results we desire. 

Intentional reflection won’t happen on its own. Although it requires a little more work on our part, the return on the investment of our time is exponential. I’d like to leave you with these journal prompts to consider before and after your training sessions to help you build evidence of just how much prioritizing exercise improves your life. 

Before your training session, consider:

How does my body feel right now?

What emotions am I experiencing right now?

What is my intention for my workout?

After your training session, consider:

How does my body feel right now? How has it changed?

What is my main emotion right now?

What is my takeaway from today’s workout?

The more frequently we reflect on how we feel before and after, the easier it’s going to be to take action and prioritize our training sessions. As you are writing or thinking about these journal prompts, remember that there is no right or wrong answer. The point of this is to start taking inventory of how exercise affects us and to build evidence of how prioritizing our training sessions can change the way we feel. 

Being intentional with our movement during busy times of the year is not easy, but always worth it.

Xoxo

Coach Maggi