For most of my life I’ve taken a morning walk outside, whether it was the stroll to school or an early morning stride session before work. Then over the past couple years I mostly stopped due to nursing my son, sleeping a little extra when possible, and sometimes just a hurried rush into the busyness of the day. I missed my walks, of course, but I didn’t realize how much.
My energy had been flagging–in the dumps if we’re really being honest, but I blamed my lack of sleep, my needy kid, a never-ending to-do list, work stress, and on and on. It never occurred to me that I might be a big part of the problem. In the sake of preserving my sanity and energy stores, I’d unknowingly tanked them.
Instead of waking on my own terms and rising consistently at the same time to proceed through a morning routine, I snoozed until my son woke, continued half-dozing while nursing in bed, eating breakfast in a chaotic hour frittered away by whining and chores, and then retreating downstairs to a poorly-lit work office to stare at a computer screen all day.
No wonder I didn’t have any energy. Yet I kept telling myself that when I finally have more energy, then I’ll go for a walk, meditate, write more, you name it. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t happen…Until I decided to set my intention and take action as the first step even without renewed motivation.
My initial intention to practice yoga more often led to setting a daily reminder on my work calendar to alert me mid-afternoon to break for fifteen minutes of yoga and meditation. I’ve come away from those short breaks feeling notably better, so it was a solid start.
I then added my full yoga session back in on Sundays and noticed a similar takeaway, so finally, finally, I decided to resume my morning walk. I now get up directly when the alarm goes off at 6 a.m., dress, do a few minutes of dynamic stretches, and head out the door. It’s only twenty minutes that I’ve set aside to walk that tree-lined path, but it’s moving my body, surrounding myself in nature, breathing fresh air, and allowing my mind to wander. I come pepped up and alert, far readier for the day than I would’ve expected. Multiple weeks into resuming the routine, I’ve noticed the effect it’s having on me.
I am, quite simply, happier. I have more energy and optimism not only for the day ahead and what I might accomplish but also for planning the weeks and months to come.
It’s a basic rule of physics that energy begets energy, but it’s one that’s too easy to overlook, especially when it comes to taking care of our own depleted energy levels. We all need to write this reminder on a sticky note and place it on the fridge or bathroom mirror. Read and reread that Energy begets energy to will yourself into whatever habit might at first glance appear as yet another to-do but instead of sapping your levels will bolster them. Maybe you already walk or run or practice yoga, but what would build your energy levels is playing table tennis or gardening.
Figure out what does it for you. Maybe it’s Zumba, pickleball, or swimming. Then do that thing again and again consistently until it doesn’t feel like work at all, to where you find yourself raring to take on the rest of your day. Spend your energy to create new energy–one habit at a time until you realize, like I’m learning to do, that there is a world of possibility to take advantage of if we’re not falling asleep behind the wheel.
Gabrielle Koontz 