Exercise is all about self-care. When you hear the phrase «self-care,» you might be conjuring images of face masks and spa days and watching Netflix on the couch. This is part of self-care, no doubt about it. You need to relax every now and again or else life will drain your cup and there will be nothing left to replenish it. But the other key part of self-care is putting effort into your body and your mind so that you can reap the benefits later. 

Self-care might mean hitting the stair master for 45 minutes while you watch two episodes of Seinfeld. Self-care might mean lifting so hard you get a round of applause from your gym buddies. Self-care might mean going on a 3-mile run just to get the juices flowing. These forms of attention are just as important to pay to yourself as taking it easy.