About halfway through May, I noticed that she was tweeting about this Summer Shape Up Challenge. 30 workouts in 30 days. Since it was halfway over, I decided to make it my goal for the month of June. After all, there are 30 days in June so it seemed perfect! This workout playlist was amazing! Not only did it help me build up my strength, it provided the shakeup in my routine that I needed to make me excited about trying the workouts each day. It also taught me a few personal lessons that were probably more valuable not just to my fitness journey, but to my life overall.
WHAT JESSICA SMITH TAUGHT ME ABOUT LIFE
These 30 workouts have everything from intense cardio sessions, to strength training, to moderate cardio sessions, to yoga, to general flexibility training, to quiet meditation. You name it, it was probably included somewhere in these 30 workouts. Being the single mom of a toddler, my workout time is slated for after kiddo goes to bed, which has made sticking to exercise difficult. I would always get demotivated and just let myself go to bed. With the constant variety and wonder of "I wonder what exactly this workout is all about", I found myself more excited for bedtime than normal because it meant I got to workout!
(2) Rest is a good thing, mentally and physically.
You'll notice that I did not immediately post this after the month of June ended. That's because I didn't finish the 30 workouts until July 3rd. Was my goal to do all of them in 30 days, yes. However, there were some days that I needed a mental break and/or physical break. There was one day that after attempting to start, my body just wasn't into it. I decided it was best to stop the workout and pick it up again the next day. I also took a couple of days off for a weekend getaway with my boyfriend. Our schedules are both so busy that finding time that we can just spend together and not focus on any obligations was a needed break to help me finish this workout series strong. I've never liked rest days because I always felt that showed I couldn't hang, but this series made me realize that some days my body NEEDS that break to become a better body. (And let's face it, allowing myself the rest that I need allows me to be a better employee, better friend, better daughter, better sister and most importantly, a better mother.)
(3) Not all workouts are for me, and that's ok.
There was one workout during this series (the meditation-y one) that I knew was going to be a struggle. However, instead of skipping it, like I normally would, I made myself try it. I told myself that I wasn't allowed to stop until I completed at least one third of it (10 minutes, anyone can do any workout for 10 minutes, right?). I surpassed my goal and managed to do half of it before I finally cried Uncle. This workout just wasn't for me, and for the first time in my life (including all the years of workouts for tournament and college softball), I felt like it was ok to admit that. Once I allowed myself to admit that it was ok in one area of my life (be it as small as a fitness routine) it was amazing how much more I began to accept it in other areas of my life as well.
So maybe it wasn't Jessica Smith exactly who taught me these life lessons, but I do know that her workout series helped lead to these revelations. As I embark on a new fitness journey for the month of July, I'll carry these lessons with me and maybe bring back my old friend when I get bogged down and just need the reminder of what I've accomplished.
Since everyone wants to know not so life altering accomplishments that came out of this workout experience, I will tell you that I am now back in my pre-pregnancy clothes. The bonus to that? THEY ARE GETTING TOO BIG! I've stopped looking at a scale, so I can't tell you how much weight I lost, but the inches that I've lost are pretty amazing. Check it out here!
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