This is a bit of a different post from our typical fashion and trend content. Today we're talking about exercise and overall well-being. A part of looking your best (in fashion and style) is also about feeling your best (from within). A crucial step in the matter? Taking care of yourself and your body — both inside and out.
I have had quite the relationship with exercise. I grew up playing sports: basketball and soccer (and one season of lacrosse - lol), so I had a structured workout routine for the majority of my childhood/adolescence. That's not to say that I particularly enjoyed the grueling basketball workouts or felt my best as I ran the dreaded 3-mile start to soccer tryouts, but I did feel good about myself because I was working out. I had structure and routine for my workout schedule, so I didn't have to think about it too much. But, as the years went on, I wasn't happy with my body or how I felt after these workouts. I had muscle and was doing a lot of cardio, but the workouts were intense. My muscles ached, and I came to dread these forms of exercise that were needed to keep up the speed of play of competitive high school sports. These feelings all came to a peak in my junior year of high school, where, following a car accident that took me out of sports for a while, I began to contemplate why I continued to engage in these sports and forms of exercise if they didn't make me feel that great. I stepped back and decided to branch off on my own and begin working independently.
To start this adventure, I went through a series of workout trends. From trying to workout like a VS model to following the latest influencer trends for workouts, pushing my body to run even though it didn't feel good to do, or cycling every day of the week to burn off all those calories from freshman year of college, I was in a constant cycle of figuring out what felt best for me and I wasn't quite finding it. Despite wanting to give myself a reprieve from the intense high school workouts, I fell into a pattern of pushing myself really hard in the gym to max my caloric burn for that session. I would implement new ab workouts every other week, convincing myself that if I made these new moves, I would get the results I so desperately wanted. Spoiler alert -- they didn't work. At the end of all of my chasing of these different exercise routines, I still didn't feel satisfied with how I was working out, and moreover, I didn't like how my body looked or felt. I was left feeling unfulfilled.
I think it was around the summer after my freshman year, Summer 2022, when the "Hot Girl Walk" took off on social media. Our world is a cycle of being influenced by the latest trends in one way or another, but this one piqued my interest. I was drawn to its simplicity and the fact that I could do it anywhere on a sidewalk or trail. I was living in Maine for the summer at the time, so I started to implement this newfound workout trend into my morning routine. I would get up, go for a mile or two walk, and then come back and start my day. I noticed something in myself that was different from other workouts I had tried in the past -- I actually enjoyed it. My mind was clear, and my body was moving in a way that felt good for me. Could this be my dream exercise?
Ask any one of my friends, after that summer and the entirety of my sophomore year - I was always walking. It became my main form of exercise, and I can honestly say that it has made me the most comfortable with myself and my body out of any other workout. It is a constant, and something I can work into my every day routine, no matter what I am doing or where I am doing it.
Even though walking remains my main form of cardio now, I still look for something a little more to add to my routine to switch it up. I like to see muscle definition and toning, just not when it means working my body to exhaustion. I used to do pilates workouts on YouTube, but I was always more focused on the time spent on the video rather than actually focusing on what the movements were doing for my body. I would force myself to do only the 30-minute+ videos because that's what I told myself would mean I was actually working out. But, as I came into this realization of implementing workouts that make my body feel best, the time stamps on the videos no longer mattered. This was how I fell into Melissa Wood Health, actually, the spring of last year. I was immediately hooked. I found a 15-minute full-body workout video that left me feeling toned and calm without my body aching all over. Had it been this easy all along?
MWH focuses on small movements to "sculpt long, lean lines throughout your entire body." I've watched that one video so many times I think I have the exact wording memorized. Her health and wellness brand encompasses all aspects of well-being: nutrition, workouts and meditations, and lifestyle. Although I haven't tried her subscription package, I have read feedback about people who have and raved about the results. Check out her website here: https://melissawoodhealth.com
If you're not looking for a subscription, and just want to try it out, check out my favorite 15-minute YouTube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1SDEkrMrUc -- I really can't recommend it enough!
Pilates and other forms of low-impact workouts, such as yoga, have become all the more popular recently as more and more women are discovering that the high-intensity of HIIT or other workouts doesn't make their body feel its best. Working out for women is a delicate balance, and often the high-intensity spikes cortisol levels, which can cause bloating, poor sleep, feeling puffy, or being more anxious/stressed. Of course, each person and each body is different. But, if you're anything like me, your body may respond better to low-impact workouts for your overall health and well-being.
Since my high school days, I have slowly ditched the pressure of burning a ton of calories through my workouts and instead mediated that worry by beginning to focus on eating better by incorporating more whole foods. I often opt for making my meals rather than reaching for processed snacks that tend to leave my body feeling inflamed and run down. I shifted away from workouts that felt like a chore to do and instead looked internally and moved towards what made my body feel its best. I aim for 10k steps a day, do my MWH 15-minute pilates video 1-2 times a week, incorporate yoga when I am feeling a bit more stressed, and make gym visits 1-2 times a week to do some walking and light-weighted mat workouts.
Of course, my routine isn't perfect or rigid. There are some days I do no form of exercise and get about 500 steps, and I still definitely enjoy sweet processed snacks -- I just don't have them with every meal. Everything is in moderation. As I have learned, I have to listen to my body and do what feels best for me. I hope that something about my journey has resonated with you and helped you work through your own journey with exercising and well-being at whatever point you may be at. Navigate around what doesn't feel best for your body, and start listening and paying attention to what makes your body feel its best -- both inside and out.
XO,
MH
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