Is your glass full?

Being a varsity athlete and captain of a team, you are constantly giving.  You put the team first; everyone’s needs before your own.  Now that I have transitioned into a fitness instructor role, although I thoroughly enjoy every class I have and participant that attends, I am in a similar situation.  Regardless of how tired I am or how terrible my day could potentially be going, all of my energy is directed into providing participants with the best experience possible.  My days are made better by instructing classes however, it is a lot to be ‘on’ at all times.  

Jen Comas, one of the fitness instructors I met in Kansas, taught me an important lesson I have carried through into my final year at university and I wanted to share it with all of you.  I shared with her that I sometimes find myself stuck in this giving role and sometimes lose sight of my own needs now that I am teaching more.  She told me that one thing she remembered while instructing fitness classes was to remember to take care of herself.  She said that I needed to continue to fill my own glass because if not, there would simply be nothing to pour out and share with others.  I have had this thought in my head every day since then and I realized that we can all apply this to many situations in our lives.  Whether it is in a relationship, a friendship, work, school, our family, parenting, or on a team, we all need to remember to take care of ourselves first, because if we don’t, we aren’t left with much to share with everyone else.  

Today, I made time for myself by helping Marni Wasserman with her Fall into Health Retreat in Toronto.  Yes I was helping her, but it allowed me to refocus my energy on myself.  Hearing women from different walks of life take a day for themselves to refocus and set intentions for the rest of the year was inspiring.  There was yoga, cooking, workshops, and goal setting.  I feel energized as the weather becomes cooler and midterm season begins.  But, I know that I can handle anything when I take care of myself first and better enjoy the others around me when I do so.  

A few things I hope to do this week are cook more and exercise more (on my own time).  I LOVE cooking and have been trying out various vegan, plant-based, and whole foods recipes and my body loves it. I will be sharing these with all of your in the near future too! When I fuel my body properly, I feel so much better. For me, by setting goals each week, I will be able to fill up my glass and focus on the most important things for me at this given time.

Take Jen’s lesson into all of life’s challenges.  Take care of yourself first. Always.  Pour your energy out to other’s only once you’ve been able to fill up your glass with everything that makes your life filled with joy.

Be fierce. Be strong. Be vibrant.

Rachel

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