I want to talk a little bit this week about self-discipline – especially when it comes to exercise.
People tell me frequently that I’m crazy for working out as much as I do, or that I wake up before the sun several days a week to make sure I get said workout in. Like I said in several posts before, I work out six days a week and allow myself one day to rest.
Life gets busy and sometimes you have to get creative and flexible in order to get those workouts in. Which means sometimes waking up at an ungodly early hour to do so. And for someone who really values her sleep, waking up early can be really hard. But I always feel so much better once I’ve gotten the work in and that feeling of accomplishment helps pull my butt out of bed every time.
A really good example was this morning actually. Dan and I were planning to go to the farm after work on Friday, but we decided to leave early Saturday morning instead. Originally, I planned on having Saturday be my rest day and I’d bring my running stuff to run Sunday morning.
But since we decided to leave in the morning, I decided last night that I’d just get up early and get my run done before we left and then I could sleep in Sunday morning and not have to pack my stuff either.
I went to bed kind of late last night so when my alarm went off at 5am I REALLY didn’t want to get up and go for my run. I thought about saying screw it and I’d just bring my stuff to the farm like I had originally planned. But I knew deep down that I’d regret doing that.
If I skipped my run this morning, I only would have gotten to sleep in about 45 min longer AND I’d have to get up early Sunday morning too. Sure, I could skip both and have two rest days, but I knew I’d be mad at myself if I did that too.
As much as I didn’t want to, I made myself get up and go get it done, telling myself I’d feel so much better once it was over.
Other than the smoke from the wildfires, it was a beautiful, peaceful morning and my run felt really good. Not only was it actually enjoyable – it isn’t always 😂 – but dang I felt good afterwards. And proud of myself for getting it done. Now I can sleep in tomorrow as a reward!
Staying disciplined to get my workouts in isn’t always easy. If it was, everyone would be in the best shape of their lives. It really is hard work, and it takes as much mental strength as physical strength to keep at it.
But everyone is capable of doing it if they train themselves to keep at it. It doesn’t have to be a long workout. Even getting out for a 15-20 minute walk would work! Set aside a few minutes every day to workout and keep at it. Be flexible and get up a little earlier if you need to. I promise it definitely gets easier with time. Pretty soon it’ll just be another part of your day.
Practice that self-discipline to better yourself. I like being healthy and this is a way I can actively work towards keeping myself healthy for as long as possible. What I do today absolutely has an impact on my future self.
So if you haven’t yet, start getting the work in now! Your future self will thank you.
Until next time! 🙂
Megan Nelson