Feeling It: Why Taking Time For Yourself Is One Of The Most Vital Forms Of Self Care

Between work, friends and family, and the fact it basically gets dark at 3:30pm I found maintaining that vital source of ‘me time’ through exercise had simply slipped towards the bottom of my priority list.

Enter LuluLemon. In one of those life throws at you what you need the most, when you need it most, The Stack World was getting geared up to put the active wear companies debut shoe collection to the test, and I jumped at the chance to be involved.

Back in March this year, we caught up with LuluLemon ahead of their first steps into footwear, and on the launch of their running shoe the Blissfeel, the first of four-part collection. In what I now like to refer to as the BB (Before Blissfeel) era of my life I was searching for the push to get running back into my diary, and found myself craving that vital source of time for myself it had once provided.

Now I had the shoes, I needed to figure out when exactly I could get a run into my day. I opted for the closest Sunday. The reason for this was simple, I wasn’t ready to commit to commuting from, and certainly not to work, not until I had figured out whether or not I could make it any further than the end of my street.

Now, you might be thinking, perhaps I was not exactly the best candidate to test out a running shoe that had been expertly engineered to enhance the feeling of a run? It did cross my mind, but, here lie the magic of this trainer.

Crafted using data insights from quite literally millions of footscans, and working closely with biomechanics and morphologists, each shoe in the collection has been put to the test by women whose feedback has quite literally shaped the finished product.

It doesn't matter how much, or how little, experience you have in running, this trainer has been designed to support you no matter your skill level.

For me, setting off for the first time in basically a year, I was amazed by how comfortable I felt. A common misconception I have come across is that trainers will be comfortable by nature, but more often than not I’ve ended up with trainers that look good but need a full box of Compeeds after wearing, or they don’t look too great but are completely comfortable. The Blissfeel manages both.

The trainer felt a lot like an extension of my own body, moving with ease and intuition to the timing of my steps. The arch support is incredible, I felt cushioned by the soles and the uppers were breathable and flexible, so don’t worry all my fellow high arched feet friends, there is none of that uncomfortable tightness to contend with.

Now, I cannot stress this enough, I am no runner – this first outing was no sleek high ponytail, sweat that looks like perfect no makeup makeup, meet your friends for a coffee after working out type of run – this was a red faced, hair stuck to my neck, breathing so loud you could hear me from 15 ft away, don’t look at me kind of run. But I felt great.

I realised the reason I had enjoyed running so much in the past was because it presented the perfect opportunity to turn up the music, forget about parts of my life that were creating tension and importantly get my head out of my laptop and just focus on being present.

This isn’t to say go grab the trainers and get out there yourself right now, rather, if you're putting off anything that might equal quality time for yourself in order to get other things done, you might want to rethink.

Having a shoe that worked with me not against me made a world of difference. I felt I could get that bit further, or go that little bit longer without resistance, and I am pleased to confirm I did manage to get a little bit further than the end of my street.

Now, in the AB (After Blissfeel) period of my life I have reignited the need for prioritising taking time out for myself that isn’t just sleeping. Half an hour at lunch time to go for a run whilst working from home isn’t going to mean I lose time getting things done, it's the opposite. Choosing to commute home from work via a jog isn’t a waste of time, it's the perfect way to close off the working dat. Running I was reminded, for me, was a way to take time out for myself, and with the help of some great music and LuluLemon, I’ve remembered how important that truly is.