I like the idea of no excuses. This morning, my son threw up in the car on the way to the gym. It was the perfect opportunity for me to say "oh, well. I guess I can't work out today". After all, I couldn't take my kid in, so what could I do?
What I did was go home. I got my son (and the car seat!) cleaned up. Then I put him in the jogging stroller and went for a run. Was it the workout I had planned on having? No. But I burned a lot more calories pushing a stroller 2 miles than I would've if I had just come in and watched TV.
3 months into my decision to get healthier my sister took her life. At this time, my son was still not sleeping through the night. Because of open spots at work, my husband was working a ton of overtime, which meant that he was home about 1 day a week... not 1 day a week, coming home at night, one day a week PERIOD. My life was literally falling apart around me. It would've been the perfect time to climb into bed and just try to get by. Who could blame me?
But I didn't do that. I kept working out, kept eating healthy. I kept pushing myself, even though it was so, so hard.
I'm not saying this to toot my own horn or to say" look how amazing I am". I'm saying this because we ALL have obstacles every single day. We all have things that can stand in our way of eating the way we're supposed to and working out. I'm no different than you. I AM you. If I can do it, YOU CAN TO!!!
No excuses. This means that if you have an injury, you modify your exercise. If you work all day, you get up early to get a run in. If you can't afford a gym membership, you pick up some weights on craigslist or a yard sale and you get your work out at home. If you can't afford childcare, you find a jogging stroller (again, craigslist, yard sales... I got mine at the Moo La La Boutique for $20!) and you take your kids for runs or walks. If you're too tired to cook at the end of the day, plan and prep your meals in advance.
Please don't get me wrong. I remember about 4 months after my son was born someone telling me that if working out was important to me, I would find a way to do it. I'm basically telling you the same thing now... but I was getting up 6 times a night with my son, and my husband was rarely home to help me. I was being hard on myself for not running a few miles a day when I could barely function due to lack of sleep. Sleep was more important to my brain function. There ARE times when you need to balance. BUT notice I say balance, not give up. I could have balanced myself by going for walks a few days a week or by asking for help (gasp!) with the kids so I could take a nap and have the energy to work out.
Balance means ordering a pizza once in a while because you're too tired to cook... not ordering a pizza once a week because it tastes good. Balance means not working out for a few days when you're sick.. not stopping your workouts all together because you're too tired.
Everyday is a new opportunity to be a better you. More kind, more compassionate. You can be more generous. You can worry less and pray more. You can laugh more and yell less. You can take the opportunity of this day you've been given to be healthier in every way. You can put the cookie down and pick up an apple. You can push yourself a little bit harder at the gym. As long as there is breath in your body, you serve a purpose. Be the best you can. Do the best you can. After all, there is only one you! Why shouldn't it be the very very BEST you??
Be kind to yourself today and always!
Great words to live by!!!
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