I am equally annoyed at two types of people right now:

1. Fitness & wellness influencers using a vulnerable time to guilt people into working out from home #noexcuses.
2. People who aren’t particularly active telling fitness & wellness professionals to “shut up about our home workouts” and that we all just need to rest right now.

Want my two cents? I don’t think you should listen to any of these people. What we all need to do is tune out the noise and use this time to listen to ourselves.

You are the expert on your own body.

You are the expert on your life circumstances. The expert on what you need to do to create some semblance of balance and normalcy right now. You are the expert on your intentions behind doing a structured home workout, doing some informal movement, or taking a nap.

Not everyone who chooses to rest right now is “lazy”. Not everyone who chooses to work out right now is “disordered” or “obsessive”.

Let’s stop passing judgement on people whose lives we don’t understand. Because this is going to look very different for:

• The doctor, nurse, grocery store bagger, or delivery person, who has no choice but to go to work right now.
• The introvert who has always been able to work from home.
• The teacher who is trying to figure out how to take all their lessons online.
• The bartender, server, massage therapist, personal trainer, or group fitness instructor who just got laid off for the forseeable future.
• The parent who is trying to deal with having kids at home.
• The professional dancer or athlete who is feeling lost without their passion right now.
• The small business owner who is struggling to stay afloat.
• The person with a compromised immune system, and those worried about at-risk or sick family members & friends.
• Anyone struggling with anxiety or depression or in an unsafe home situation.

Did I miss anyone? I could go on and on all day, and probably not touch on everybody’s circumstances. The point is, wherever you’re at, I see you. I think we all need to see each other a little more right now. All the time really. Leave space for the nuance & individuality. Do less telling others what to do, and more listening to ourselves and each other.

Should I work out or rest right now?

I’m not going to give you the answer. Instead, here are a series of questions to ask yourself if you can’t figure out how to listen to your body right now.

1. Are my basic needs being met? Am I fed? Safe? Am I physically healthy enough to work out right now?

2. How rested am I? Have I been able to use this extra time to get enough sleep? Or am I overworked at my job or taking care of others?

3. Does it sounds like fun? Would it boost my mood right now?

4. Do I have other tools in my toolbox to boost my mood and take care of my mental health? Have I been trying to incorporate a variety of tools or relying on just one?

5. What would bring more balance into my life right now? Movement or rest?

6. Am I an athlete or performer? What would best help me get back into my sport or art once I am able to?

7. What is my motivation for wanting to work out right now? Is it coming from a place of love/self-care? Or is it coming from a place of fear/worry about gaining weight during an uncertain time?

8. Is the drive to work out aligned with my own values and desires? Or is someone else making me feel like I “should”.

9. Would this time be better spent doing anything else? What would I be doing if I weren’t working out? Would that thing fill me up or bring me down?

10. Am I in a place to give or receive right now? Have I been focused on myself a lot? Or mostly giving my time and energy to others?

11. What choice would best support my WHOLE health right now? Physical, mental, emotional, social?

12. What kind of movement, if any, sounds good today? A formal workout? An online dance party? A walk with my dog?

I’m not gonna tell you what to do in any of these cases.

That’s the point. I want you to come to the conclusion all on your own. And know that the answer may change, day by day, week by week, until we all get to resume life as normal. One thing I know for sure: This whole situation is forcing many of us to slow TF down. To have more time for reflection and stillness. Which is often the best time to tune in to your body and your needs. So take that time. Do what feels right for you.

Leave a comment below and let me know where you’re at right now. And remember that if you have the capacity to even consider working out as an option right now, that’s a privilege. Life is pretty freakin’ good.

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