Find the Grey

Can I be honest here?

I definitely have a case of the post-travel Sunday blues.

Coming off of a go-go-go 10 days or so of travel to Columbus, Ohio, followed by an unexpected side quest to Fort Lauderdale before our Japanese visa interviews at the consulate in Miami, I was in need of plenty of rest and recovery this weekend, and I gave it to myself!

Then a couple hours ago, I felt the energy for a lift, so I headed to the gym. Unfortunately, in my very first lift, sumo deadlifts, I experienced pelvic floor leaking, a very common symptom that has come and gone for me over the years and probably relates to my hernia repair from back in 2020. While I know exactly the exercises to do to strengthen my pelvic floor, it’s always a little bit of a bummer when I experienced these symptoms. Today I almost took it as a sign that I should’ve just kept resting this weekend and was rushing getting back to the gym.

But then a little voice in the back of my head wondered if upper body might feel better… so I gave it a chance! In these kinds of situations, I often think of the Ted Lasso-ism “be curious, not judgmental” and try to simply stay open to what might happen without having a preconceived notion going in.

I gave myself full permission to call it quits at any moment, but as I transitioned from lower to upper body, I noticed I was feeling strong and even able to set a PR in my DB bench press! 🥳💪

I continued to consider calling it after each exercise, but each one felt just fine, so I continued until I made my way all the way through the lift! It was by no means my best lift, and I still have some thoughts and feelings about my pelvic floor symptoms, but it’s another workout in the books and I’m proud of myself for showing up to the best of my ability today.

No huge takeaways here other than the reminder, if you need it, that sometimes listening to your body and asking more of your body don’t have to be mutually exclusive!

So here’s your invitation, if like me, you tend to find yourself falling into black-and-white thinking, to look for the grey areas of life, get a little more comfortable being uncomfortable, and stay more curious and less judgmental. 💗