Life lessons on the gym floor

Happy Monday, beautiful warrior and welcome to another Monday, a new week fresh from the wrapper! This week's newsletter is going to be a little more revealing than usual because I am showing some skin so get ready!

Last week shared a video on my INSTAGRAM PAGE attempting to do some tricep dips in the gym. On a scale of Urkel (1) to Schwarzenneger (10) I would give myself a 7 but please watch it and tell me what you think in the comments! ??

I am not newbie to the gym so after a few reps I realized that no matter how hard I tried I could not stop wobbling - which is not ideal form for this kind of exercise. I knew immediately that it wasn't about arm or tricep strength and it wasn't about determination and fixity of purpose. It was a matter of my CORE. The value of our core has been dwindled down to consider only muscles or "abs" but your core stabilizes your body, allowing you to move in any direction and maintain balance doing something as simple as standing in one spot. A strong core creates a ripple effect throughout the rest of the body. From bending to throwing, lifting, twisting, carrying and hammering the strength, direction and range of motion depend heavily on the strength of your core. And as I thought through that I got an "aha" moment that I had spend 30 minutes journaling about in the parking lot of the gym immediately after! Here's what came up for me:

1. Our core exists not only on a physical level but on an psychological level as well. It is the source of our resilience, our ability to cope with stress, and our ability to thrive in the face of challenges. A strong emotional and mental core allows us to maintain balance, stability, posture, and performance.
2. When I assess the strength of my emotional and mental core 5 elements seem consistent in bringing me through hardships, challenging circumstances, disappointment and failures:

• Self-awareness:?The ability to understand my thoughts, feelings, and motivations; set personal standards and boundaries - foundation of all other emotional and mental health skills!
• Self-regulation:?The ability to control my emotions and behaviours, stay calm in stressful situations and to make rational decisions.
• Resilience:?The ability to bounce back from setbacks and challenges.
• Optimism:?Believing that things will get better which helps me to stay motivated and hopeful even under pressure.
• Acceptance:?The willingness to accept myself and my circumstances, even when they are not ideal. It protects my precious peace of mind and primes me to live a fulfilling life.

3. I am able to strengthen my emotional core daily, sometimes at a cost of $0.00. Through deliberate practice, primarily through my morning routine, I do the strength training required to have the core strength when I need it the most. For me this looks like a daily dose of:

• Self Forgiveness Meditations: releasing the heavy judgement and negative self talk and demonstrating to myself that I am worthy of love and acceptance, even though I have made mistakes.?A big spin off here is that when we forgive ourselves, we are more likely to be able to forgive others. This can lead to improved relationships with friends, family, and loved ones - and healthy social connections help us to feel safe enough to be our TRUE, BRAVE AND BEST SELF!
• Mindfulness and Gratitude Journaling: paying attention to the present moment without judgment. So instead of ruminating on what has passed or feeling anxious about what is to come I stay in what "is" and focus on my next best step, as responsibly and courageously as I can.
• Exercise: to reduce stress, improve mood, and boost self-esteem. It also helps to improve physical health, which can have a positive impact on emotional and mental health.

So when you feel "wobbly" and uncertain about yourself or a decision you have to make lean into your core. What standards, boundaries or beliefs do you value? Ground your actions and decisions in those.

Do you need space or time to check in with your emotions and understand why you feel anxious and what needs to be done to mitigate the risk or build courage to move through the fear? If yes, take that space and time to process and make an informed decision.

If there is a sense of hopelessness, as though there is no light at the end of the tunnel, shift your gaze from the end of the tunnel to your next best step. What is the most important thing that is to be done and is in your power to do? DO IT.

When this becomes a habit, you build up a track record of resilience and an every stronger CORE that wobbles less and gives you greater steadiness and control even in the midst of life's storms.

Krystal Tomlinson is a Public Speaking Coach and Corporate Productivity Trainer serving teams in the Caribbean and North America. She holds Certification from UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Centre in the Science of Happiness and works passionately to help improve workplace wellness and personal productivity. For trainings, workshops and seminar bookings [email protected]