“Self-Love… but Make it Fitness”
“Ohh my gawshhh, this BodyPump class is really working my GLUTES”- said every person EVER after taking a LesMills BodyPump class at GLOW fitness. Working out can be a physical and mental challenge, let's be real. Using proper form in exercises to maximize muscle engagement, while keeping up with the rhythm in class (since you know we LOVE music at GLOW) is a task that will push any and everyone.
Due to the strenuous nature of working out, whether in a group fitness class or not, I’ve thought of a way to practice self-care to help ME get through the workout and wanted to share this guide with you all. I will be drawing from a very popular structure called the “5 Love Languages,” a book written by Gary Chapman that goes over common ways that people give and receive affection, ALTHOUGH, I DO NOT encourage defining (read: limiting) yourself by these 5 examples presented in this book and in this blog post. Be expansive with the love you give and receive, love can be so abundant!
In his book, Chapman defines the five love languages as words of affirmation, acts of service, gift giving, physical touch, and quality time. These five love languages will act as a starting ground for the ways that we can practice self-love while we are in an intense work-out. The first will be words of affirmation. A common way that people practice this is telling themselves positive phrases as they are working out. In place of “OMG I can’t do it anymore!”, we can make comments like “this is difficult, but I can persevere!”, wanting to encourage ourselves to continue with the exercise journey even during difficult moments. This can also look like wearing a t-shirt that has an encouraging message on it, or wearing your GLOW shirt to class to remind yourself you are a part of an encouraging community - we are here to help you GLOW :). Remember you can and you will!
The next love language we will focus on is gift giving. Bring yourself some comforting gifts while you are in class! A favorite protein bar, baseball cap that gets you in the zone, or energy drink to give you the little boost you may need to push through the challenging work. We also have high and low caffeinated energy drinks at the front in case you want to surprise yourself with trying a new type of energy drink before class! Another gift that I personally enjoy is to invite my friend to a class, giving myself the gift of sharing time with a loved one, which transitions to our next love language.
Quality time is the third love language that we will be focusing on. First and foremost, any time that you spend in a gym or group fitness studio is QUALITY time , because I know for some of us, there are many other places we could be, especially at those 6 a.m classes during the winter, brrrrr. Another way I would encourage you to look at quality time is by thinking of ways the environment can be more comfortable to you while you are exercising. Is there a favorite track that you might want your instructor to play in class every now and then that gets you pumped/excited for class? We love suggestions! Would a cold towel possibly help you when class is starting to get a little toasty? Grab a cool towel (on US) on your way to class! Could a change in shoes provide a more quality workout by being more conducive to your exercise? We have shoes and towels at the front just in case people are interested!
The last two are acts of service and physical touch. For acts of service, I view this as setting myself up for success for my workouts. I encourage folks to try and think about what needs they may have surrounding their workout that they can play to meet to reduce the overall stress they may have. This could look like if you are someone who works out during the middle of your work day, maybe planning out your outfit the evening before, and lunch as well so that you can make everything as seamless as possible. Oftentimes the more work we perceive in association with doing something can be the tipping point on the scale that discourages us from doing so in the first place! We can serve ourselves by being proactive with meeting our prospective needs to have a great workout.
With physical touch, I encourage folks to pat themselves on the back (or booty if that suits your fancy) during class to give yourself a physical marker of encouragement. That energy may then spread through the room and folks might pick up off of your encouraging energy and start encouraging themselves or the people around them. Also, if appropriate and consensual, maybe the person next to you or the friend you brought to class would be comfortable with a high 5, so you can encourage each other! The last tip I will share in regards to physical touch revolves around self-soothing. Self-massage is something that can be super helpful while in or outside of class. You feel a cramp coming on? It’s okay to take a 10 second break- stretch and rub the tension and then continue with your reps. Also when we say take the time to SHAKE IT OUT, definitely shake out the tension in your muscles. Shaking helps reduce the tension in the body, and after a good pump, you will need it lol.
I hope these tips are helpful to encourage you to think about how to manage your stress in class. Working out is never easy, and honestly, the classes don’t get easier, you just grow to become more resilient and stronger. In conclusion, there are definitely ways to reduce the stress we associate with working out based on how we care for ourselves pre,during, and post the workout and I hope this blog post encourages you to brainstorm other ways to support yourself.
~Shawn Dazevedo, BodyPump Instructor aka suavevibe~
