IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD

The simple truth behind reaching our health and fitness goals is that it is all up to you. The old saying, "if it is to be, it is up to me" certainly applies here as well as other areas in your life.  Waking up early each morning to exercise isn't easy.  Driving to the health club after a long day at work is often the most challenging thing to do.  Yet have you ever found yourself driving towards the fitness center with every intention to workout but then find yourself making excuses about why you need to get home now to start dinner rather than workout?  Have you ever started to get out of bed before your run only to find yourself arguing with your own mind about how you really should just rest because your body needs it?  Yep, success is all in your head and often our own mind is our own worst enemy.  Taking time each week to reflect on your goals, ambitions, shortcomings and opportunities is just as important as completing your weekly workouts.  Motivation isn't always our best friend but it shouldn't matter; we can still exercise even if we don't feel like it.  So the next time you're feeling sluggish and/or find yourself arguing with yourself about whether you should or should not workout tell your mind to shut up and do it anyway.  Your body will appreciate it. 

The Newspaper Weight-Loss Program

When I was about 12 years old I had a paper route and many of the lessons that I learned then are still pertinent today and taught me much of what it meant to be an entrepreneur.  I found myself rushing back home after school to deliver the papers by 4 PM each day.  On Saturday and Sunday mornings I was up at 5:15 AM to finish my delivery no later than 7 AM.  Rain, sleet, hail, snow, icy roads, bicycle crashes, angry dogs and even sometimes neighborhood bullies proved to be obstacles but somehow I overcame them.  I was a consistent paperboy, had some of the highest sales in the area and earned the title of paperboy of the month at least three times and nominated for paperboy of the year (sadly I was only runner up.) 

In hindsight the thing that I took for granted is the fact that each day without fail, the newspapers arrived at my door ready for delivery.  If you think about it, the consistency and dedication that it takes to print a newspaper should be awe inspiring.  Perhaps taking a lesson from our local weekly and daily newspapers can be used to inspire our own health and fitness routine. 

Waking up before the sun does day in and day out isn't an easy task.  Working long hours, preparing breakfast every morning for the family and the usual routine of daily life can take a toll on our energy levels.  And now you're saying that I should start exercising on top of everything else?  Here's the thing; the earth was here a long time before we were brought into it and will be here a long time after we leave this world.  Now some may like to argue with me on that one but I'm pretty certain we can mostly agree that our existence is a temporary one.  So, what are we to do with all of the time in between?  While I could make this a multiple choice question I'd like to answer it with a resounding "live!"  You see exercise adds years to your life, quality to the years and too many other wonderful things to list.  The unfortunate thing is that too many people struggle with the motivational aspect of living a healthy life that it falls to the wayside.  I don't know about you but I love waking up feeling energized, refreshed and ready to take on the day.  Living a healthy life makes each day possible to live just like that and I can't consider existing another way.  Life is simply too short to feel constant stress, pain, discomfort and exhaustion.  Honestly, I think it's easy to take life for granted and if you're ready to start living, I mean really living, it's time to take your own health seriously. 

I'm sure that there are some days that the local journalist and editors don't feel like writing and or printing the paper and possibly plenty of excuses not to do so.  Simply put they're not just slightly interested in printing the paper each day or week; they are committed to doing it and there inlays the difference.  When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it is convenient. When you're committed to something you accept no excuses, only results.  So tomorrow morning when you rise to read the early morning news, don't forget that the paper in your hands can provide you with just the dose of motivation you need to start your day off right.