One of the best ways to reduce stress and feel better on all levels is exercise. 

There are many options for cardiovascular fitness, strength training, flexibility, and overall wellness, catering to our preferences and fitness levels.   

For example, there’s

Yoga

Pilates

Walking

Running / Jogging

Cycling

Swimming

Dance (e.g., Zumba, ballet, salsa)

Hiking

Strength training (weightlifting)

Barre workouts

Group Fitness classes (e.g. HIIIT, boot camp)

Aerobics

Kickboxing

Water aerobics

Tai Chi

Indoor cycling (spin classes)

Tennis

Pickleball

Golf

Rock climbing

Bodyweight exercises (e.g. calisthenics, TRX)

CrossFit

Martial arts (e.g. karate, taekwondo)

When we have a regular exercise or movement schedule, our body changes, and we are positively transformed and uplifted by the experience. 

Regular exercise:

Boosts our stamina and energy levels, helping us stay alert and productive throughout the day.

Promotes better concentration and cognitive function, enabling us to tackle tasks with clarity and efficiency.

Triggers the release of endorphins, which alleviates stress and improves mood helping us cope with the demands of work and life effectively.

Regulates sleep patterns, ensuring we get the rest we need for optimal performance at work.

Fosters a sense of accomplishment and self-assurance, empowering us to take on challenges and assert ourselves professionally.

Strengthens our immune system, enhancing our well-being and health.

Enhances cognitive function and creativity, leading to improved problem-solving and productivity.

Reduces the risk of chronic diseases and enhances our quality of life.

Prioritizing

No matter what gets in the way - time constraints, fatigue, lack of motivation, guilt, convenience or access to classes or facilities  - we can find positive ways to prioritize our physical/emotional/mental health and fitness.

For example, we can:

Schedule exercise sessions like any other appointment and make them non-negotiable.

Incorporate short bursts of activity throughout the day, like taking the stairs and doing desk exercises during breaks.

Get up earlier in the morning for a workout or use our lunch break for a quick gym session or walk.

Make sure we are getting enough sleep, which exercise helps us experience.

Choose activities we enjoy and find energizing.

Break our workouts into shorter sessions if we’re feeling tired or drained.

Set specific achievable goals and track our progress to stay motivated.

Find a workout buddy or join group classes to add a social element.

Mix up our workouts to keep them interesting and fun.

Remember that exercise is an investment in ourselves, and it benefits those around us.

Make it a family affair by taking a hike, going for a bike ride, or playing active games together.

Work out at home, take online fitness classes, or run, hike, or bike from home.

Incorporate physical activity into our daily routine, such as walking or biking to work if feasible.

Why Don't We? A Psychological Key to Success

Even when we know that exercise and staying fit are important, even when we are unhappy with our weight, stamina, and strength, why do we continue to do little or nothing?

Have you ever noticed that people who smoke cigarettes know that smoking kills you and yet continue to smoke? How can they do that?

They continue to smoke because smoking killing you is not real to them. They don't see themselves as sick or dying, even if they've had a smoker's cough for years.

But, if they find out that they have lung cancer or some stage of lung disease, that all changes.  They become aware that they are actually dying, and the reality of smoking becomes real and personal to them.

My mother was a pack-and-a-half-per-day smoker for 20+ years.  As a child, I tried to get her to quit by drawing skulls and cross bones on her cartons of cigarettes. It didn't change her behavior.  She just got angry with me.

I was surprised when I came home for the holidays during my freshman year of college and she had quit.  She became aware of a scratchy sensation in her throat that she had never experienced before and became scared.

So she went to her doctor, got the nicotine patch, and quit. That was it.  She never smoked another cigarette until the day she died twenty-five years later.

She allowed change to move through her and created a new, healthier reality for herself.

So don't wait until your bones are brittle and you fall, or you are huffing and puffing and can barely walk up a flight of stairs, or whatever your threshold of pain is to implement change.

Set realistic and doable goals now.

Do things that may challenge you but you enjoy.

Acknowledge your weekly accomplishments and monthly milestones.

Celebrate the changes you see and feel in your body, mind, and heart.

Embrace the joy of self-care.

What truly matters to you in your personal and professional life? 

When you say yes to opportunities, experiences, and lifestyle choices aligned with your values and say no to those that are not, doors open to a more joyful and meaningful life.

So let's uncover your core values and decide how to best work with them.

Step 1: Determining our core values.

From the list below, choose and write down every core value that resonates with you. 

This is not a thinking exercise. It’s a feeling one. 

Relax and Breathe

So let's relax your nervous system and be fully present here now. 

Sit in a comfortable chair, your feet flat on the floor uncrossed and your spine straight. 

Close your eyes or gaze down, whatever is most relaxing for you. 

Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose, with the out-breath longer than the in-breath. 

Breathe like this at least 10 times.

Then as you breathe in, breathe in gratitude for making this time for yourself, and breathe out any stress or tension in your body; let it go. 

Breathe like this 10 times or more as well.

Notice how you feel as you continue to breathe and relax.

Create Your List

In this calm, relaxed state, read through the list below and write down any words that feel like core values.

If words come to you that are not on the list, write them down as well. 

Step 2: Group Similar Values

Group all similar values in a way that makes sense to you, by what you feel goes together. Create no more than five groups.  If you create more, drop the least important group(s) to you.

For example:

Group 1:  Courageous, Decisiveness, Dedication, Innovation, Originality

Group 2:  Resourcefulness, Risk Taking, Preparedness, Resilience, Responsibility

Group 3: Empathy, Compassion, Fairness, Cooperation, Loyalty

Group 4: Calmness, Acceptance, Grace, Service, Spirituality

Step 3:   Choose Key Words

Choose one word from each group that represents the label for the entire group and circle it.  Again, this is a feeling choice, not a thinking choice. There are no right or wrong answers. It’s about your first impression, a feeling impression.

For example:

Group 1:  Decisiveness

Group 2: Preparedness

Group 3: Empathy

Group 4: Acceptance

Group 5: Flexibility

Step 4: Add a Verb to Each Value

Add a verb to each value, so you see it as an actionable value. 

For example:

Choose decisiveness.

Promote preparedness.

Model empathy.

Live in acceptance.

Act with flexibility.

Write your statements down to remind and guide you to live more purposely. 

Step 5: Prioritize Your List

Finally, write your core-value statements in order of priority.

For example:

Live in acceptance.

Model empathy.

Promote preparedness.

Choose decisiveness.

Act with flexibility.

Post your value statements so that they are visible and accessible.

Know that they are there when you need to make decisions.

Be grateful they are there to remind you what's important to you and the kind of person you are choosing to be.

And Remember

You are still evolving and growing. 

You're not the same person you were ten years ago, and you'll be different five years from now. 

So, revisit your core values periodically and keep your vision of where you are headed, your alignment, and who you are choosing to be, current and meaningful to you in a heartfelt way.

How good are you at saying no?

When someone asks you to commit your time and attention to something and you are already maxed out, are you confident and comfortable enough to say no, or do you want to keep them happy?

There’s no need to be hard on yourself if you have difficulty saying no.  There is an art to professionally and firmly saying no, and you can master it.

Here’s what can happen when we don’t say no and overcommit:

We experience burnout, adrenal fatigue, and exhaustion. 

We feel stressed and overwhelmed by simple tasks that need our attention.

Our productivity plummets.

We feel anxious and depressed. 

We experience insomnia.

Our cardiovascular system is compromised.

Our personal and professional relationships are strained.

We feel guilty about the lack of personal and family time.

We experience dissatisfaction in all areas of our life.

We don’t have the time or energy to pursue new opportunities or take on challenging projects.

The quality of our work suffers due to rushed deadlines and divided attention.

When life hits you with a two-by-four and there's a gift.

When I was thirty-two, I suffered a miscarriage, got a massive infection, and was hospitalized. My mother flew in to take care of my two-year-old son, and to make sure that I saw him every day.

I was a young attorney with my own law firm and I couldn't work.  My body was unwell, stressed, and needed time to recover.

What I learned was that life would go on without me. The world would keep turning, and if I died, someone  would assume my responsibilities.

I didn’t feel morbid or upset by this discovery.  It was freeing. 

The experience helped me to create the space I needed to be a mother and to take care of myself physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.  I stopped trying to be everything for everybody.

Something inside of me let go.

What I learned.

Saying yes when I need to say no is not about self-care or self-love. It hurts me and the people who depend upon me and that I love. 

If someone reacts when I say no and holds a grudge, they are not someone I want in my life.  Most people who receive my no will find someone to replace me, another way to handle the situation.

Life will go on.

Here are ten polite, professional ways I've learned to say no.

Thank you for considering me, but unfortunately, I have to pass.

I appreciate the offer but I’m unable to commit at this time.

I’m honored that you thought of me, but I must respectfully decline.

I’m afraid I have other priorities at the moment, so I’ll have to say no.

While I’m grateful for the opportunity, I have to decline due to prior commitments.

I’ve had to learn to be selective with my time, so I hope you understand that I have to decline.

Thank you for asking, but I’m not available to take on any more responsibilities right now.

I’ve had to make some tough decisions about my schedule, and unfortunately, I can’t accept.

I appreciate your understanding that I need to focus on other obligations at this time.

I wish I could help, but I have to decline this time. Thank you for thinking of me.

For Your Sanity and Wellbeing

Memorize several ways to say no. Practice them. Be comfortable saying them. Breathe.  Notice how you feel when you have the courage to listen to your own heart’s knowing and be true to yourself.

What do we learn from living life, from our day-to-day experiences that challenge and stretch us?

Do we use our mistakes, our forgetfulness, our dropping the ball regarding our responsibilities and to-do lists to beat ourselves up, to cause ourselves to contract and play small? 

Or do we use ‘life happening’ as a springboard to truth, as an opening to a deeper knowing of what makes us tick, where our fur balls and strengths lie, and what we need to let go of to be more of our best self?

The choice is ours and nobody else’s.  No one else can pick us up and cause us to feel grateful for our experiences. 

No one else can assume responsibility for what we need to clear and release, for what we need to master and embrace in our lives.

When we are triggered, hurt, upset, or off balance, is our first go-to to make someone else wrong?  It’s just not helpful or useful to play the blame game because we are responsible for our own evolution and growth.  

No matter what someone else did or said, we choose if we react or respond. We are the ones that choose love or fear. We are the ones who make messes that we need to clean up.

We can have accountability buddies and life hacks to help to get us through what we find to be unpleasant, boring, or ‘no fun’. 

But in the final analysis, it’s our job to step up, break through any procrastination or reasons 'why not' and act, take a step forward and do something that moves us beyond the inertia that wants us to stay stuck.

No matter how we complain and moan, no matter what stories we tell ourselves or how we try to mask the feelings that need to be felt, loved, and let go, what is not serving us remains until we deal with it.  It’s there percolating in the background causing us to feel less than love, less than whole, less than who we truly are.

The first step is to choose to be aware when we are kidding ourselves, where we are not loving and embracing the truth.  It’s helpful to affirm, “I love the truth. Please show me the truth. I choose to know the truth.”

The next step is to be open to seeing, feeling, and knowing the truth.  The truth is not fairy tales or make-believe scenarios where all is rosy and perfect, where there is no tension, angst, or anxiety. 

We are simply choosing to be open to acknowledging and accepting how we feel with kindness, patience, and love.

We are choosing to be more of our best self.  We are choosing to open our mind and heart to the reality of our situation, and how we could mulch the fear we are experiencing into love. 

Maybe the truth is about seeing and acknowledging the bits that are selfish, rude, and impatient.  Maybe the truth is about accepting ourselves where we are at, how we presently are, warts and all.

It’s okay that the truth is not pretty. It’s okay that we need to work on ourselves to embrace positive change.  It’s okay that we are always a work in progress, that there is no ‘getting there’.

Whatever the truth is, knowing and acknowledging the truth opens us to healing and a new state of being that’s more calm, real, and true. 

The half-truths we tell ourselves, the smoke screens we erect not to see what’s going on inside of us, that’s what weighs us down, causes physical pain and disease, keeps us going around in circles and feeling small.

Admitting when we’ve made a mistake, said something stupid, or done something harmful is cathartic.  It helps us to feel clearer and brighter.  It’s liberating, setting us free from the chains that bind us. 

If we need to make amends, if we need to right a wrong, if we need to embrace a new way forward, that’s up to us as well.  Spirit/Source/God/The Universe cannot do that for us. 

Sitting around and hoping, praying, meditating, and visualizing is not going to create the change we desire.  It can support the change.  It can uplift us and help us to feel more whole. But, we need to take action on the ground, one step forward and then another.

Sometimes stepping forward feels scary like we’re stepping off a cliff with nothing to brace our fall.  In those moments, we must trust in the benevolence of the Universe.

She has our back. She supports us and places stones beneath our feet so that we may experience the consequence of our choices; so that we may learn how to follow our heart and make course corrections along the way. 

So that we may experience the joy of being 'love in action'.