Coffee Talk #161: Take a Break

It’s Tuesday! Grab a cup and let’s start chattin’.

If we were having coffee together today, I’d tell you that we’re seriously counting down to our Caribbean trip! I cannot wait for sun and sand and awesome time with the husband. We’ve officially planned all of our excursions, and we’re getting excited to zip line through the trees, go cave tubing, relax on a beach, and explore Mayan ruins. We’re also planning some onboard activities, like massages, a galley tour, cupcake decorating, and more. Sun and sand, here we come.

If we were having coffee together today, I’d tell you that any time I have a trip planned, I make a to-do list of tasks to accomplish before the trip. I love this — having something on the horizon and working backward to create a plan. I have a variety of tasks related to YTT, MBRT, fitness, and house projects to accomplish. I love making lists!

If we were having coffee together today, I’d tell you that one of the tasks involves setting up my new home office! I’ve wrestled with the idea of having my own space at home, and never fully committed, since we have an area in the kitchen that served most of the purpose that I need to work from home. With goals that involve increasing my fitness programming and offerings next year, I realized (with the urging and encouragement of a mentor) that I definitely needed a solid space to host all of my work. Since we added a new room to the house this past year, I have a great space to create something of my own! The photo above is a little teaser shot. We went to IKEA this past weekend to make some purchases, and I’ve been all over amazon and arhaus and target and michaels to create little decor touches. It’s been such a fun process, and I’m so excited to get it all set-up and ready to use fully in 2020.

If we were having coffee together today, I’d tell you that I’m keeping up with the challenges. I started the 12 Days of Fitmas Challenge, the Foundations 25 Days Challenge, and the 25 Days of Buti Challenge on December 1. I share the daily prompts for 12 Days of Fitmas on facebook and instagram and I’m following the other two yoga challenges on this instagram.

If we were having coffee together today, I’d tell you that I’m a firm believer in moving your body all year long – even in the slower, colder winter months. I can feel a difference in my body, motivation, and energy when I have a few days off – like during the Thanksgiving weekend, where I wasn’t teaching classes and couldn’t make it to attend as many classes.

While I feel this way, I also want to acknowledge the need for a break. In my first several years of teaching fitness, I felt horrible if I had to cancel a class, especially when it was beyond my control (like the facility was closed or I had to be somewhere for work). I felt like I was letting everyone down by not having classes ALL. THE. TIME. I would prioritize teaching over getting paid (there were so many classes I taught for free, during breaks at the College), over my workouts, and over my own sanity. Now, I’m grateful for the opportunity to stop, pause, and reflect.

I think the same is true for your workouts. Not seeing the results you want? Feeling frustrated or stressed to make it to a class or to complete (or start) a workout? Take a little break. A pause. And be OK with it. Assess what is keeping you from being successful, evaluate, and then make a plan to get back into it. I like to think of this as a fitness or wellness reset. And, listen – it’s ok to have a season of working on emotional or mental wellness. I do strongly believe that physical movement aids our mental and emotional well-being, but every body and mind is different, and sometimes it’s good to just take a pause from the routine.

I love having these ‘break weeks’ during exam time at the College location – I get the opportunity to schedule things I need to do for work, to attend classes at different times, and to honestly just be home early for dinner. My husband is literally the best – making dinner and eating 7 p.m. or even later. My days are packed, usually 4:45 a.m. until 7 p.m. or later, so it’s nice to be able to have some different options this week. I also use it as an opportunity to build some skills for my own classes, and to practice new drills. I’m starting a NEW class next week, Strength, Stretch & Tricks, so I’m also prepping for that.

When you take a break, you give your body and mind the opportunity to rest. You also give yourself the ability to think of new possibilities. I find I’m always creative when I have a break in the routine. I find new opportunities, think of new moves and combos, and come up with different service or promo ideas. I wasn’t always, but now I’m a big fan of taking a break. With one caveat.

Make a plan to return to the routine. Maybe it’s slightly altered (rewrite that script!), but it’s a good idea to have some semblance of a regular routine.

What do you think? Do you find there’s a certain time in the year when you need a break? Do you like taking breaks? Do you like changing the routine?