One of my most beloved clients and now friend is going through one of the toughest times a person can go through. I know because I have suffered through this twice with my amazing grandparents that dedicated their lives to seeing my brother and me raised with love and security when my dad could care less. My client’s sister has cancer and at the moment, a very scary and invasive cancer. The client is also assisting her sister through the surgeries and recovery because she doesn’t have loads of family to lean on. This is stressful, emotionally draining, and time consuming.
What we’ve been discussing the importance of learning how to live a lifestyle of fitness and health when life is at it’s best. Each “normal” day of your life you have stresses and chaos. You are faced with eating and exercising choices and compromises. For every right choice you make you reinforce good habits. You learn how to be flexible and creative with squeezing in time for you. This is the practice run for the tough times…the really tough times.
There will always be times in life when we miss workouts or we get stuck somewhere and eat off the plan. That’s just life, honey. But if you generally make the best choices and exercise without fail, those unplanned moments are easier to get through. It’s the 95% of your life when you make the right decision that allows for the 5% of your life to be a mess.
I leave you with this thought…think of your new lifestyle as a way to learn coping skills for life’s REAL emergencies. Right now my friend is faced with one and she is handling herself and family beautifully. She is giving herself totally to her sister yet remaining constant in her belief that she can’t give fully unless she takes some time for herself. For her, that’s a run, heavy iron, nurtitious cancer fighting foods, and the belief that the last few months with WW and PNP prepared her for this battle.