15/05/2025
Things didn’t go the way I had hoped this week.
Instead of a Mother’s Day weekend full of restorative rest, I found myself fighting a relatively mild, yet potent, cold.
Instead of an energizing start to my week, I fielded pivot after pivot as my daughter grew sicker throughout the day.
Instead of lifting at the gym, my ‘heavy lifts’ came in the form of unforeseen tasks that naturally come about when a child gets sick, and managing my mood and my capacity for decision making while sleep deprived and overwhelmed.
Considering all this, I still moved – with intention not intensity in mind.
Conversing with other moms in my stage of life the common theme is this: just how??
How is there time? How do we have energy? How do we stay consistent when it seems like every other day a curve ball is thrown our way, and we are too exhausted to show up for our ‘workout’ or any other form of exercise with the intensity needed to see results?
My encouragement to you is to take a big step back. Zoom out 10,000 feet. Remember the big picture.
For many of us our desire to train, exercise or commit to any form of movement is to support our own health, to show up better for our families, and to live in a way that is life-giving. In this case, INTENTION is far more essential than INTENSITY.
This may come as a surprise for many of us who have been indoctrinated in ‘all-or-nothing, no excuses’ culture. Often that mindset leaves us burnt out, dejected, unable to trust our mind or body.
A guiding principle at Bridgewell is to lead with intention because when we do, we engage in movement in ways that is aligned with our current needs, producing the relevant process goals, while sustaining our effort to lead us to our overarching outcome goals. When we lead with intention we show up not to prove our worth but to honour our inherent value to our families and communities. When we lead and move with intention, everyone wins.
Struggling to return to exercise because of an all-or-nothing, ‘no-excuses’ mindset? You are not alone, and you do not have to navigate your next steps alone. A new day is coming - reach out for support to reframe your efforts any time :)
