Last Monday I promised myself I’d get my sorry arse to the gym. I’d gone into work early (it was a holiday, but there were things I needed to do), I ate a decent breakfast, I’d run the one errand I needed to run. But I didn’t want to go to the gym. I was tired (lack of sleep), but that wasn’t the reason, either. I just didn’t want to start on this journey.
Crowbar #1: Call a friend. Talking to someone, saying it out loud: That makes it real. I have to own up to my sorry excuses for not doing what I need to do.
Crowbar #2: Drive to the parking lot of the gym. This was what the aforementioned friend (the one I called last Monday) suggested, and I found that it works. I don’t have to go in. I just have to be willing to drive into the parking lot.
Crowbar #3: Try just 10 minutes. This one came from another friend, and I like it. If I still feel like crap, I can stop after 10 minutes. If I feel good after 10 minutes, I can continue.
This week I have promised myself that I will drive to the gym every morning before work, and on Wednesday and Friday morning I will actually go in and try for 10 minutes. Driving to the gym in the morning helps to set the pattern for changed behavior. All of it is a practice of being willing.
I don’t believe I will ever love exercise or going to the gym, but I know from past experience that I will like the results of the effort.
Today's Ration 