“You can’t pour from an empty cup” – The most clique but truest statement ever.
YOU are an awesome, valuable person and have so much to offer others and share to them. However, you cannot offer any of what you want to give to others: Love, knowledge, compassion, etc. if you pour from a half empty cup. You need to focus on filling yours first.
There is a reason why on an airplane, the flight attendants tell you to put your breathing mask on first before your child. You can’t help them if you don’t help yourself.
You need to be more selfish when it comes to your health and fitness. Most of us know health and fitness is important but we struggle to do it, or stay consistent with it - Why? Mostly for three reasons; cost, time, and accountability.
Both, cost and time, are realistic issues but let’s be honest with each other, they are just rationalized excuses we have for what we value based on emotions. Easy illustration, are you reading this off a computer or one of the newest iPhones? How much did it cost? Are you wearing the cheapest pair of shoes, or clothes, or is there a name brand on it? Everyone values things differently and it’s easy to rationalize paying more for quality when it comes to Nike shoes… But why not for your gym membership or your nutrition?
Now for time… When was the last time you sat on the couch and watched 1 or 2 episodes on Netflix? Boom. Point proven. You have time, you just spent 2 hours watching your favorite TV show instead of going to the gym.
What about accountability… Well, it’s hard to stay accountable to yourself. Period. Especially if you’re constantly trying to give, give, and give to others… If that is the case, you’ll just skip w workout today, then tomorrow, and etc. To help with this, it is great to have something outside of just yourself; be it a coach, a community, or meeting a friend (ideally all of them in one… wink-wink…) that keeps you accountable and coming back for improvement!
The reasons why NOT to workout or take care of yourself can definitely start to add up if you start thinking of every excuse in the book… But try to REALLY think about it. Are you just worried about other people’s opinions? Are you afraid of coming off as vain, but in reality you just don’t feel comfortable the way your clothes fit? Are you worried you will be looked at weirdly because you aren’t sure how to workout, but you really just want to gain more confidence? - These are all very reasonable worries and everyone has felt these to a degree. That is why it is important to join a community, workout with a friend, make time for yourself.
We think for a lot of people, they just struggle communicating with loved ones that they need to do things for their health & fitness for really important reasons. They want to make sure their self-confidence, self-esteem, and energy levels are where they need to be, to be themselves and fully present with their loved ones.
Sometimes it’s hard to explain that it’s not that working out is more important, or that looking a certain way is more important… but that to be and feel like your best self, you need to be able to be a little selfish at times. You need to schedule workouts like meetings, and invest in yourself, so you can show up in meaningful ways for the people that matter the most to you.
Also, selfishness and selflessness are both vices and virtues depending on the extremes. For example, being slightly selfish when you are normally selfless, can actually be a very good thing. Need that extra accountability, or community, or all of what we just discussed contact us (info@trakathletics.com) or schedule up for a free trail class at TrAk!
