Warning: this post may be a bit self indulgent. :-)
It is no secret that everybody is busy in today's society. Of course busy is a relative term. There are things that we MUST do, including working, mowing the lawn, cleaning the home, paying bills, bodily functions, bathing, etc. Next there are events that we choose to do that are so important to us that they become "must dos" such as going to a little league game, meeting a friend for dinner, volunteer work, etc. The 3rd category I have is the things that I really try to make time to because I want or need to do them such as get a pedicure, take a nap, bring the dog for a longer walk than usual and so on. The last bucket I have are the things that if I have time to do, I will. These type of tasks include things like cleaning the closet and organizing the garage. Every body's list is different depending on their life, obligations and priorities.
Working out for me used to fit in that last category. During the past few years, it has moved up and down the list a bit. Initially, when workouts became regular in my life, I knew I needed to work out so my attitude was I will try to fit one in here and there (aka 3rd category). Unfortunately, it seemed that I did not make the time often enough and consistently came up with other things I "needed" to do during the times I would have otherwise worked out.
Knowing what that meant to my health, I made the decision to move working out to the first category, an absolute MUST. This worked well for me for periods of time. I met a great, motivating trainer who took an interest in my progress. I met friends who I could work out with and we kept each other honest. Despite the fun and accountability we all had, working out was still a must. It was not something that I felt I chose to do because I enjoyed it.
It was not the workouts, it was not the people I worked out with... or anything else. It was my juvenile mind. Because I had to do it, I would not allow myself to enjoy it. I needed to let go of the "MUST" and just go with it. Once I realized that and changed my mindset, working out has been so different. It is now something I do not because I have to, but because I want to for me. It has now become a member of the 2nd category, which is the most precious one. This is were everything that matters most life sits in. It is where it should be, because working out is just about me and I need to be the most important thing in my life. That is what enables me to be something to everyone else special in my life.
However, with all that being said, let's be real. Life happens and time is always in shortage. Although I wanted to get 5 workouts in a week, most weeks I have been satisfied with 4. Four workouts a week multiplied by 4 weeks is 16 per month (& of course 5 is 20 a month). Despite workouts becoming something I like to do now, I still struggled to get those 16 or 20 in a month. Anything could throw me off - a visitor from out of town, going away for a weekend, meetings, social commitments, staying up late to watch the game - anything. In the back of my mind I knew I could do it, but needed to motivate myself more. I could wake up an hour earlier. If I had a week that I knew working out was going to be tough later in the week, I could work out twice a day earlier in the week.
So, for this month (October 2012) I set a goal for myself to complete 30 workouts in 31 days. The point of my goal was to prove to myself that I could do it; not physically, but time wise. I knew that if I could complete this goal, with still taking days off and not neglecting anything else, then I could never tell myself that 16 or 20 was not possible.
I am happy and proud that this morning I completed my 30th workout for October. My routine was a mix of classes and interval jog/walk/runs. There were days that I did a morning and evening workout. There were days I did nothing. It was all about telling myself I was going to do it. Yes, some days I was tired. But do I feel good? Absolutely!
Getting at least 20 workouts in for November will be a breeze!
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