Many of us are well into almost four months of working from home. And while the novelty of having all this “extra time” to workout from home took off at the beginning of quarantine ( I’m looking at you Amazon and your ridiculous $200 3lb weights) by now all of us would be forgiven if the motivation to take out our mat or move our coffee table out of the way just isn’t there.

Listen, we’ve had a really hard year. Covid-19, the wake of Black Lives Matter protests and a stadium-sized asteroid barely missing Earth on June 6th. If you didn’t hear about that last one— look it up. For some reason 2020 is feeling more and more like the end of times. But, the good news is that it is not. And working together we can make changes and progress, not just in our individual lives, but in our neighborhoods, cities, countries and world.

However, it all begins with you. And to make changes, we need to find ways to find that motivation again that got us here to beginning with. Let me be clear, taking care of yourself is not selfish. Taking 20 minutes to focus on yourself does not mean that you don’t care about what is going on in the world, or that you are not educated. It means that you are making sure that you can help, and that you can contribute because you are healthy both physically and mentally enough to do so.

These are some of the ways I have been able to take care of myself while taking care of others.

1. Make it fun: A benefit of working out from home, is that now more than ever there are so many options available. Want to learn to do the splits? There are videos for that. Wanted to try a dance cardio class? Check. Bored of yoga, but you like pilates? There is also that. No matter what you do, what matters if that you are moving! If something is feeling lack-luster it just means it’s time for something different.

2. Remember what you like: I personally love running, and I know I love it because even when I don’t feel like getting dressed for it, the minute I step out the door and start to move I instantly feel happier. Maybe you got caught up following a trend or a challenge that other people were doing, but you just really didn’t enjoy. If that’s the case, it’s okay to tap out and go back to what you know works for you.

3. Go outside: Doing everything at home can make things seem less enjoyable or motivating. If your bed is next to where you work, which is next to where you eat, which then it’s next to where you workout, it might all start feeling clustered. Going outside is a great way to break the routine and still find time for yourself. One of my favorite new routines is making coffee in the morning, listen to a podcast and walk 3 miles with the pup. A lot more hikes and parks are opening up to! Take your workout to a grassy area with a friend or go on a little hike to clear your mind.

4. “Noticing Practice:” It’s important to understand and listen to what your body is feeling before doing anything. There are times where I have the energy to do a 40 minute HIIT, but I have also learned to not push myself if my energy levels aren’t there or if my muscles are still sore and recovering from previous workouts. In those cases, I like to do a short 15 minute yoga session where it is mainly stretching or simply put the workout aside and do something else that I enjoy like reading, calling a friend, painting or catching up with a tv show or movie.