Seasons of Life and of Fitness

Just like Mother Nature’s seasons, we go through seasons ourselves. I’m not just talking about our age, but seasons of priorities, passions, and goals. We are constantly changing. As they say, the only constant is change. Just like we go through seasons of life, we go through seasons in our fitness!

I have gone through many seasons of fitness myself. For a long time (much of my childhood up until college), I never thought about fitness per say. I was very active and involved in sports and I never thought of working out (except one time when my best friend and I signed up for a gym membership in high school and never went…oops!). Tennis, softball, surfing, and walking my childhood dog were all fun to me and part of my day-to-day life. Then, I went to college. I stopped playing sports for the most part and hardly surfed because the beach was a couple hours away (and I did not have a car my first year of college). That’s when I first started thinking about making time for the gym and realized that I needed to do something besides walking to class (and the bars). Fitness has always been an important aspect of my physical and mental health, but it has taken, and continues to take, many different forms as my goals and priorities change.

Seasons of fitness may revolve around how important it is to us. Sometimes fitness takes a back seat and we really don’t think about it. Other times, it can be the first thing on our minds. And then there are times where we are in between. Other seasons of fitness may be about our fitness goals. Some examples of those seasons include strength training, improving flexibility, or endurance training.

We shared a couple of months ago that we (Nick and I) are expecting our first child! We couldn’t be more excited for this new adventure and journey, and are incredibly blessed to be surrounded by so many supportive and loving people near and far! Prior to this big news, my season of fitness was focused on strength. If you’ve taken a class with me, you know that I love upbeat classes that make you break a sweat! My home practice regularly involved weights (on and off the yoga mat), challenging yoga flows, and I was starting to “take on” inversions focusing on core and upper body strength. My fitness goals changed almost immediately after learning that I was pregnant. They went from building strength to maintaining strength and health. I want to be healthy for myself and our baby, and I do not want to do anything to jeopardize either. Everybody is different, and there are some yoga poses and workouts that are perfectly acceptable while pregnant, but I just don’t feel comfortable with them, so I avoid those. This is my new season of fitness, and while it has taken some getting used to, I love it! I’m sure there will be a new season for me after our baby arrives, and another after we’ve found our new routine as a family of three.

Our season of fitness often reflects our season of life, and vice versa. Take the time to recognize what season you are in and embrace it! Lastly, remember that your season of life and fitness is different than the person next to you; rather than comparing, encourage those around you as they work to reach their goals on and off the mat!

Namaste (through all seasons),

Nat