Let’s Reframe Workout Guilt
I’m talking to you, mama, with the little kiddos
There is a lot of pressure to be everything all at once. There’s not enough time in the day for that and a lot of the things that get sidelined are the things that would make the biggest difference in how we feel. Be the perfect parent, spouse, employee, child, neighbor, friend, or volunteer, and also make sure you take care of yourself because we wouldn’t want you to be a hot mess either. That’s a whole lot of expectations society puts especially on vulva owners.
One of the biggest false narratives around is that parents, especially with young kids, are somehow so busy they don’t have time to eat but are also too “lazy” to prioritize the gym. If you are running around taking care of your family, working, and taking care of the house without a nanny, chef, business manager, gardener, or personal trainer not wanting to go to the gym at the end of the day isn’t lazy. That’s called exhaustion.
Let’s pull back on the should in this - should you take care of yourself? Yes. I’m not here to tell you how to live your life but I will say that you will be a better parent, partner, employee, family member, friend, neighbor, and human if you take care of yourself. Should you go to the gym? That depends; do you like the gym? Does it serve you at the moment in your life? Is it compatible with your current stage in life? Do you need to go to the gym or are there other ways to move your body?
Let’s talk about some Reframing
We’ve explored expectations before and how they can impact our experience and health (link book). Physical expectations are no different. The expectation that all of the things you are doing running around all day are NOT improving your health is a false narrative. How much time during the day or week do you spend washing dishes? vacuuming? mopping? cleaning the bathroom? Pick up the house? chasing kiddos? carrying kiddos? walking the dog? running laundry up and down stairs? cleaning the kitchen? washing the car? mowing the yard? raking leaves? changing sheets? These activities are all called NEAT and they contribute to your daily calorie burn and movement.
Now, what is the danger in thinking all of the NEAT activity isn’t beneficial to your health? Harvard conducted some research on hotel room attendants: Mindset Matters Study. These women believed what most people believe: what they do all day is not exercise and therefore not contribute to their health. The researchers looked at 2 different groups. Both were informed of the Surgeon General’s health recommendations for a healthy lifestyle. The control group was not given any more information. The informed group was told the work they did met the recommendations and given examples of their their work met those recommendations. No other changes were made. After 4 weeks the intervention group had lower blood pressure, decreased weight, body fat, and body mass index as well as waist-to-hip ratio. The changes were from BELIEVING the work they did was contributing to their health. Now isn’t that a kicker, mindset does matter!
What does this mean? Just because you aren’t going to the gym doesn’t mean you are not getting movement and strength training in your routine. Does this mean that NEAT includes all of your movement needs? It depends on your life, your age, your goals, and your health status. Regardless, this mindset shift will benefit your health without changing your routine. Perhaps it will inspire you to add a little bit more just for health’s sake.
