Day 19 - Enjoy the Journey (Because You Can!)

I know it may seem impossible at times, especially when you are in pain during exercise, but try and remind yourself at how much you are improving yourself. Exercising should never seem like a chore or something you hate, instead, you should be thankful for the opportunity you have on many levels.

If you are in a position where you absolutely dread your current exercise situation, do something to change that. A lot of people get stuck in these ruts where they either hate the gym they go to, or they dislike their exercise program. Rather than making excuses to just stop staying active, find something that you do enjoy doing.

Everyone should have a mindset that exercise and healthy living should be a part of their full-time lifestyle, similar to their jobs and other aspects of their lives. If there is something about your exercise regimen that you don't like, change it!

There are days that I have little to no motivation to workout as well. There are a few motivational tools that I use on a daily basis to help me not only start, but to get through my workout. Let me share these tools below:

1. If I am lacking motivation to begin my workout, I remind myself how great I feel when I am done. I blogged about this the other day. Also known as a "Runner's High", our bodies are flooded with 'feel-good' hormones when we exercise. This can give a euphoric feel, so I continually remind myself how that feels.

2. Before beginning a workout, I also remind myself that regardless how intense my workout is for that day, something is always better than nothing! Every single time I complete a workout, I am fitter, healthier, and happier than I was prior to my workout.

3. At least once during every single workout, I try and take a quick mental break to remind myself why exactly I am exercising. It is usually one of those times when I am gasping for air, sweat is pouring off of me, and I truly feel like I can't work any harder. At that point, I remind myself to enjoy the journey. If I am not in my home gym, exercising, and becoming healthier, what is the alternative? Sitting on my rump, watching mindless television? Some other pointless activity that is not benefiting my mind/body in any way? Exercise does not need to be a long, drawn-out experience. I know that if I dedicate that 45-60 minutes daily to improving myself, I enjoy that time to myself to improve.

4. Because I can. Now this may seem like a sappy motivational tool, but I honestly think about this all the time. Think of individuals who lack the ability to walk, or run, or exercise for that matter. You may even know someone like this. Maybe they have been injured in an accident. Maybe they have lost parts of their bodies to disease or war. If you have all of your limbs and body parts in tact, then use them! Stop allowing yourself to waste away, and for god's sake, don't waste this opportunity to use your body, because you never know how long you've got.

On the flip side of this argument, do NOT use your setbacks as an excuse. Take Arthur for example, who I blogged about the other day. Everyone has their excuses as to why they don't exercise. Maybe you have bad knees, or are overweight, etc. That is fine, but find a way to get active. If you have bad knees/ankles and can't run, do something that is lower impact like riding a bike or using an elliptical machine. Have limited mobility? Trying something that will improve your situation like yoga, or tai chi, etc.

For a few years now, I have been doing strong, exercising 5-6 days a week, every week. You can too!

Quote of the day:

"If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere."
~F.Clark