Treat Yo’ Self!

Written By: Kari Wiegand

Before I had my kids, I would work out three times a week. Nothing crazy, but it was enough to make sure I was in decent shape. Towards the end of my first pregnancy, I stopped. Although my pregnancy was progressing perfectly, and I felt great, I just….stopped.

In the last 3.5 years (with the addition of another child), I’ve probably worked out 50 times total. The truth is, once I stopped, I had plenty of excuses not to start back up. Recovering from giving birth, breastfeeding a newborn for 6-8 hours a day (no joke, my firstborn took forever to eat), chasing after a baby, all while trying to keep the house somewhat clean, cooking meals, spending time with my husband, etc. Also, I really don’t enjoy working out. I like the results but not the process.

The longer I’ve gone without, the more convicted I’ve felt about getting back into a routine. I’m realizing more and more that I need to be okay with starting a workout and being interrupted several times if I’m ever going to restart the habit of exercising. Who knows, maybe once I start, my kiddos will surprise me and keep busy for 20 minutes. I need to remove my own mental roadblocks and push through, not keep finding every little excuse to keep being lazy.

So why am I telling you all this? Because sometimes self-care isn’t the fun girls’ nights out, solo shopping trips, or getting a pedicure. Sometimes self-care means doing annoying things like working out. Maybe it’s something else for you, but I’m here to encourage you to “treat yo self” to the less fun things that yield beneficial results for our spiritual, mental, and physical wellbeing. We can do it!

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (I Corinthians 6:19-20)