Here’s the secret to peeling yourself out of bed for your dawn workout, even in the middle of winter.
Regular movement is a requirement of good health, regular exercise is a requirement to excellent health, and there’s a 15 seconds solution to our motivation struggles.
One thing that rings true for me is the old saying, “people forget what you say, they forget what you do, but they always remember how they made you feel.” The same is true for exercise and can be used to get you motivated. When you’re lacking motivation, try this simple technique:
Sit with your eyes closed.
Take yourself back to a recent memory of when you were getting a sweat on during your sunrise walk with the crisp air and smell of morning in your lungs, or bounding to the beat of your music on your last scenic run, or perhaps pushing out that last couple of reps on a new weight. Remember how great it felt to whack those boxing pads, knowing the rest of the world is asleep. Think back to how that made you feel. Remember the endorphins it released, the mental stress and anxiety leaving your body, the expelling of toxins as the sweat wakes the skin.
Your cravings for bad food decrease as you balance your hormones. Remind yourself of the energy which lingers long after you complete your exercise, the new-found drive and ambition you’ve created for yourself to thrive in the day ahead. The spring in your step as you kiss your partner goodbye for the day.
Now open your eyes and tell me you don’t feel like moving!
I’m not guilting you into exercise, it’s about finding the empowerment you’ve already found yourself. Sometimes it’s just a little hidden.
Love your body and it will love you back. Always remember how exercise makes you feel.
