I was on a run this past Sunday, taking advantage of this beautiful weather (ok, let’s be honest – I wanted to get out of the house and have an hour to myself). Either way, it was a win-win. 
I was tracking my run with an app that measures your distance and pace. The first mile, I had walked half of it to warm up – so my pace was slower. And I caught myself beginning the negative self talk – “ugh, you’re so slow” and “you need to pick up this pace and make this count.”
Then I started thinking about pace. And the beauty of that – is we can all be at a different pace, and that’s ok. But the one thing about pace – is that no matter if it’s fast or slow – it is still a step moving forward. And that’s what counts. Having no pace at all means we are sitting still, taking no action, and stagnant.
So I quickly turned that negative talk around, and had a moment of internal congratulations – a sense of pride for being out, and being active at all – no matter the pace. So if you ever experience those negative thoughts about pace – about not being as good as someone else, or thinking something doesn’t count because it wasn’t your personal best – I urge you to have some patience with yourself. Be kind to yourself, and congratulate yourself for taking the step of doing something and moving forward – even if it wasn’t a record setting pace. Because you know what, they rarely are. The aspect to be most proud of, is your consistency. If you are consistently moving forward, no matter how small the step, that is what’s worth the most amount of pride and accomplishment.
This concept goes for not only your activity level, but overall health too. Are you stuck? Sitting still and not taking any action to make your body healthier? To help it heal? Are you putting up with health challenges and thinking – well, this is just the way it is now.
I urge you to start, even if it’s something small, even if it’s at a snail’s pace, to make a change. Make a change to do something that makes your body healthier and helps it heal. What does that look like for you? Is it activity levels, is it healthy food choices, is it sleep, is it finding a way to deal with pain, headaches, anxiety or migraines without medication?
If those are things you’re struggling with – trouble sleeping, stress, headaches, migraines, anxiety, pain – we invite you to reach out. These are common health issues that we see change and improve in our office daily. Call us at 402-933-1933 and myself or Dr. Niki will talk with you. We will ask you about what you’ve been struggling with and listen. Really listen to understand what you’re going through, your specific situation, and if we think we can help.
Because if this current situation has taught me anything – it’s life is too short for inaction. This time we get to spend with our family, friends, and community is something to be cherished and something that we need to enjoy to the fullest. And you deserve to be the absolute healthiest version of yourself you can be.
