For the first time in a long time, I actually wanted to work out today. Not “I should work out.” Or “I’ll feel better if I do.” A genuine, real want. And what unfolded after reminded me that nervous system regulation can look completely different than you’d expect. If you knew my history with exercise over the last six years, you’d understand why that felt like a big deal.
I had a solid routine before Covid, and when everything shut down, I lost it. And then I made every excuse to not get it back. I was too tired. Too busy. I’d try something random here and there, tell myself I was being consistent, and then disappear again for months.
The honest truth?
I’d gained about 20 pounds, and I’m at a point where it’s hard to look at photos of myself without feeling deeply uncomfortable. I’d think “this doesn’t feel like me.” And I finally got tired of ignoring it and ready to do something about it
So today, when that want showed up, I listened. And what happened after is why I’m here writing this.
The Workout: A Weighted Vest Complex (And What That Even Means)
I’ve been exploring a weighted vest complex, inspired by dumbbell complex training (because I don’t have dumbbell weights so I’m improvising and using what I have instead of making more excuses). It sounds fancier than it is, so let me break it down in plain terms.
What Is a Weighted Vest Complex?
A complex is a series of exercises you do back to back, with no rest in between movements. You treat the whole sequence as one big set, moving from one exercise to the next without putting anything down or stopping to catch your breath. The challenge is both physical and mental. Your body has to work continuously, and your mind has to stay present to keep going.
Instead of wearing the weighted vest, I held it in my hands throughout each movement. It adds extra resistance to every exercise and honestly makes even the simplest movements feel like a whole new challenge.
What I Actually Did
Three rounds of this sequence, 15 to 25 reps per exercise, no rest between movements:
- Front shoulder raises (raises your arms straight in front of you to shoulder height)
- Reverse alternating lunges (step backward into a lunge, alternating legs)
- Bent over rows (hinge forward at the hips and pull your arms back toward your torso)
- Squats (lower your hips down like you’re sitting back into a chair, then stand – held weight at my chest)
- Bicep curls (bend your arms at the elbow, bringing your hands toward your shoulders)
- Deadlifts (hinge at the hips to lower toward the floor, then drive back up through your legs)
After each full round, I rested for 60 seconds. Then back at it. 3 rounds total (my goal was 4 but I’m easing back into it)
It was challenging, but I finished.
What Happened After I Finished
This is the part I actually want to talk about.
When the third round was done, I didn’t jump up and celebrate or immediately reach for my phone. I lay down on the floor on my back, in savasana, the yoga pose where you simply rest flat and let your body be still.
Feeling My Body for the First Time in a Long Time
I let myself just be there. I felt my heartbeat pounding. I felt the sweat rolling down my face. I felt the exhaustion in my muscles. I felt my body against the floor. I felt my breath, deep and powerful at first then slowly beginning to settle.
And something shifted.
I felt proud. Motivated. Confident. Excited. And most importantly, I felt in my body again. That feeling of being present, of being connected to yourself from the inside out. It’s something I hadn’t felt like this in a really long time, and I had honestly forgotten how much I’d been missing it.
That moment on the floor wasn’t about the workout. It was nervous system regulation in real time, and it looked like sweat and stillness and gratitude.
Nervous System Regulation Doesn’t Look the Same for Everyone
Here’s what I want you to take away from this.
Nervous system regulation gets talked about in a lot of wellness spaces, sometimes in ways that make it feel like a very specific thing. Breathwork. Meditation. Gentle movement. And yes, all of those can be regulatory.
But regulation is simply anything that helps your nervous system move from a state of stress, shutdown, or overwhelm toward one of safety and connection.
It Can Look Like Stillness. Or It Can Look Like a Weighted Vest.
For some people, nervous system regulation looks like a slow walk outside. For others, it looks like crying in the shower, journaling, or sitting in the sun with a cup of tea or coffee. And sometimes, it looks like putting on a weighted vest and pushing through something hard so you can lie on the floor afterward and feel alive.
The point isn’t the method. The point is what happens inside you.
The point is that you listened to your body, gave it what it needed, and then actually felt the difference.
This Is What I Help My Clients Learn
In The Embodied Shift Method, this is the work. It’s not about following a script or doing what works for someone else. It’s about learning your own body, learning how it communicates with you, and learning how to respond in a way that actually creates the feeling you’re after: clarity, confidence, and alignment between how you see yourself and how you want to live your life.
That looks different for every single woman I work with. And it will look different for you too.
The Real Reason This Matters
You don’t have to wait until you’ve gained 20 pounds or until the discomfort is loud enough to ignore. You don’t have to wait until you have the perfect plan or the perfect motivation.
You just have to take one step. One honest, imperfect, showing-up-for-yourself step.
Maybe that’s a workout. Maybe it’s a hard conversation you’ve been avoiding. Maybe it’s setting a boundary you’ve been afraid to set, going after something you’ve been quietly dreaming about, or finally letting yourself be seen 😉
Whatever it is, your body already knows what it needs. The work is learning to hear it.
I did that today. I lay on the floor, heart pounding, face dripping, and I felt proud of myself. Not because the workout was perfect, but because I did it anyway. And my nervous system responded by giving me back something I didn’t realize I’d been missing.
That’s available for you too.
Ready to Start Listening to Your Body?
If this resonated with you and you’re ready to stop going through the motions and start actually feeling at home in your body again, I’d love for you to explore The Embodied Shift Method. It’s the framework I built to help women like you learn the language of your nervous system so you can move through life feeling clear, grounded, and like yourself again.
Or if you’re just getting started, grab The Daily Shift, my free 5-day nervous system support guide. Five days. Small shifts. Real results.
And if you want to keep reading, here’s more on what nervous system dysregulation actually feels like and why so many women don’t recognize it in themselves.
To your next shift.
xx, Haley
