Learning to Evaluate with Curiosity and Compassion Changes Everything

I stood up after going to the bathroom and a muscle in my lower back just locked up.

I could chalk this up to being in my 50s...

But I'm very fit and strong and don't think of myself as old.

So, instead, I did what I teach my clients to do, which is to evaluate with curiosity and compassion.

What’s going well?…

I LOVE my cold tub. Soaking in ice-cold water really decreased the inflammation and allowed me to move around right away.

I am also thankful for the Theragun massager because I could do it myself (see photo!). I use it on the lowest setting and reserve it for emergencies like this one because it can be too rough on muscle tissue if used high and often.

Whats not working?…

I have had some personal life stress over the past few weeks and though I have been navigating it with a lot of intention, this makes it pretty clear I am carrying stress in my body.

I have been walking a lot. It's one of my stress relievers and I love it but I do not prioritize stretching and this pain was a reminder that I need at least 5 minutes of glute/hip flexor stretches to support my high activity level.

I have been skipping massages. It's been almost 3 months since I had any bodywork. I used to go at least once a month.

What can I do differently?

I took a few days away from weightlifting and really took care of myself. It was an opportunity to practice a lot of self-care and compassion.

I had a massage yesterday at a place that has a cold plunge, hot tub, steam and sauna included and it was pure heaven.

I processed my stress even more and allowed myself to really feel it.

If we can learn and evolve from all the hard stuff that happens in life, we are less likely to feel disappointed and less likely to quit on ourselves.

This is the main reason people don't lose weight.

Something hard happens, they feel disappointed and then consciously or unconsciously they quit trying.

So look at your struggle with curiosity and compassion.

What are you proud of, what is going well?

What didn't go well and what can you do differently as you move forward?

This will keep you moving forward which changes everything because the only thing preventing you from succeeding is stopping.

Xo. S