In my post about Building Ourselves, I mention four legs of self-care that we can use to build ourselves up.  

The first one is physical.  Physical self-care simply means taking care of our bodies.

I think it’s pretty well known that if your body isn’t working properly, you just aren’t going to live up to your full potential.  

What areas do you need help?  

Do you exercise enough?  I know that’s one that trips up a lot of people.  

Let’s spend a couple minutes talking about that.

Exercise takes time.

There’s no way around that.  

Where can you carve out half an hour or more to give yourself this love?  

First thing in the morning?  During your lunch break? After the kids are in bed? After work?  It may be different times on different days.  That’s okay.

It doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you do, as long as it gets your heart rate up a little.  

The big trend in exercise right now is high-intensity bootcamp style workouts.  

I’ve tried them, and I hate them.

If I’m going to drag my backside out of bed at the crack of dawn (my prime time to exercise), having bootcamp waiting for me is not gonna motivate me. I will keep myself in my warm squishy bed.  

If you want to get me up early, though, put on a cardio kick-boxing video.  I can’t resist.

What is your style of exercise?  Do you prefer to be solo?  Do you want to get out in the crisp air early in the morning and walk or run and enjoy the peace that comes from solitude?  Or are you more social?

 For years I met a friend after we took our older kids to school.  

We had three little kids in strollers and sometimes it looked more like a 3-ring circus than it did a workout, but we were moving our bodies, and that’s what’s important.  

Plus knowing that a friend is expecting you can be a great motivator to be consistent.

Now, what about your diet? Do you fudge a little when your doctor asks if you eat 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of veggies?  How much junk food do you truly eat?  Be honest with yourself.

Do you see a doctor as often as you should? Or are you like me and put it off until it’s either unbearable or I’ve solved it myself and just need a doctor to confirm I’m right.

Don’t be like me!  (I’m trying not to be like me, either!) If something isn’t right with your body, get it looked at!

What areas of physical self-care can you work on?  I can help!  Reach out to me on my contact page and we can set some goals to get you taking better care of yourself.

See here for my other legs of self care: Emotional/Mental, Intellectual, and Spiritual