Tell me again why I work out?

This is my new accessory du jour.  I got used to wearing it in the hospital last week when my Mother was admitted.  I think we all should be wearing them so when your seatmate on the LIRR or the subway starts coughing, you’ll be covered (literally). Maybe I should become an entrepreneur and have them manufactured in various color schemes to match our wardrobes LOL.

Speaking of hospitals – last week was a trying one for me.  I was attempting to juggle my life while my Mother was in the hospital.  It was more than a full-time job.   I had three phones going all the time, talking and texting and this went on for days.   I had to cancel my clients and did work from home one day. The first day in the emergency room, I drank a bottle of water – that was it.  The days following I did not eat; I did not sleep.   There was always something I felt I needed to be doing.   I was driving back and forth to the hospital feeding her meals.   As fried as my brain was, thoughts kept racing in and out all the time. 

I did learn something, though.  That stress is a killer.  It was wearing me down and, even though I was wearing that cute little mask, I was getting sick.  I did not have time to go to the gym and work out.  I was never hungry – I had no appetite.  This was all so strange for me because I could feel that I was running on empty. My energy was depleted.  Since I work out all the time I was not even aware how much my food intake was linked to my activity!   With my normal lifestyle, I have a healthy appetite.   Plus, I never realized how exercise energized me.

By the fifth day, my body was in total breakdown mode.  I finally made it to the gym.  I did a peaceful workout on the Reformer in the studio.   When I was through, I felt rejuvenated and alive.  It seemed to settle my body – I needed the movement but I also needed to make time to do it.  

So the moral of the story is to make sure you schedule your workouts:   in your phone, on your computer, in your diary.  Just make sure they are in there so that you work around them.  It took an emergency for me to see how important our workouts really are.