Man, It Felt Good

Sure felt good to go for a short run and work out at Gold’s Gym yesterday.

Why?  Because it’s been nearly a week.  Why?  Because I’ve been traveling and working hard.

Got home (from Anchorage, Alaska) about 1AM Thursday morning, got a few hours sleep and taught all day Thursday. Then taught all day yesterday (Friday).

But I refused to let another day go by without exercising.  Sure, I had to get up at 4AM to run and the run wasn’t even half of my usual distance, due to time constraints.  And yes, I was very tired on a Friday afternoon (from travel and a six-day work week).  Did I feel like changing clothes and driving to Gold’s Gym?  Nope.

So what motivated me to go the extra mile?

Simply this.  I’ll be darned if I’m going to give up a decade’s work of life changing health habits because my schedule continues to be challenging.  Here’s a no-brainer: our efforts to get healthy do not matter if we don’t fight hard to win the battle to STAY healthy. Ya with me?

Don’t Do It

Don’t go to the gym.

Had a great hour and a half with our son yesterday after school.  We had ice cream, played catch, rode our bikes and blogged.

Could have gone to the gym, but chose differently instead. Ultimately, a balance is required.  Working out is challenging. Finding time and energy is hard.  Finding excuses is easy.

Having very high health goals makes finding motivation easier.  But it is still a challenge to figure out how to achieve those goals.

Because it is so challenging, most people are tempted to give up on their big health goals.  Don’t do it.

Confused?

Confused?  Yes.

In pain?  Yes.

Why?

That’s what is confusing.  Why is the left foot pain returning?

It’s always something isn’t it?  There’s always something that is in front of us that tempts us to want to stop doing what we know we can’t stop doing.

Always has been.  Always will be. Getting so impatient with this that a cortisone shot is looking very tempting – cortisone is something I swore I wouldn’t do.

Yet my podiatrist and I agreed, in March, that we should try one shot.

Now I’m seriously thinking about a second.  Remember, I swore I’d never do a single shot.  Now I’m thinking about a second. Good luck with your temptations today.

Pathetic

Pathetic.

Dictionary.com defines pathetic – (adj) miserably or contemptibly inadequate: “In return for your investment we get a pathetic three percent interest”.

What do we get for our investment in our physical well being?

Probably, pathetic.

We reap what we sow.

Everyday Health

Everyday Health is a daily email I subscribe to.  Why?  Because when I find something that is excellent, it’s helpful to have a way to find it easily.  Click here to see a great one from yesterday.

Yes, we all bookmark certain websites, adding them to our Favorites. But an RSS feed or an email subscription can be a great strategy for daily reminders about what matters most – Health.

The health of our Mind, Body, Spirit and Finances.

Staying active is important at any age, yet it’s especially important at Mid Life.  Be the change you wish to see in others.  Be the role model for healthy living.  Have the courage to do the hard work. Or not.