Do It! Just freakin' do it!

I don't always like working out. 
In fact, it is often a mental struggle to actually get in the gym. 
I spend the whole way there and the whole time getting ready convincing myself not to just pack up and head back home to be cozy and relaxed on my couch watching another episode of Friends...yes, Friends. 

But I am already at the gym. Might as well, right!?! So I'll jump in the sauna to warm up without having to exert too much energy. I let the heat of the air warm me up as if it will suddenly have me ready to jump into action. Some days it works and some days it has me wanting to crawl back into bed. 

I began noticing how tricky this whole game can be when I distinguished my commitment to being my healthiest self. I know that if I am living life to the fullest, my health and mobility are of the utmost importance. If I let my health fall by the wayside, it takes a toll on the overall experience of life. I tend to feel groggy, low energy, and less motivated. I begin to fall victim to the feeling of 'falling behind' and I lose traction in all areas of life very quickly. All of this just from putting wellness at the bottom of the totem pole and skipping over those dreaded workouts....

On the other side of the same coin, I can honestly say that I have never regretted a single workout. The second I say "I'm here and I'm doing this!" It's game time. It's time to sweat. It's time to push and it's time to see what I can do with my body. NO MATTER how I got myself started, I walk out of every workout grateful to myself. Grateful for all the benefits of working out but, more or less, for staying committed to my highest and best self. I experience self love even after a 15 minute jog because it is in service of progress and the process. 

Further more, in my adult years, I have chosen lifestyle activities that have played into my wellness journey that I find more enjoyable: mediation, yoga, volleyball, biking, snowboarding, and soon surfing! The experience of living healthy, as opposed to "doing healthy" when my pants don't fit right, is a MUCH different life to live. Don't get me wrong, I still jump on a treadmill from time to time but I'd always rather be throwing a frisbee or golfing. In any sense, staying active can serve the mind and soul as much as the body.

We all know working out regulates the body but it most definitely regulates the mind. It also regulates your relationship to yourself. Choosing something that has health benefits reminds us what we are doing it for. We are literally doing it to benefit ourselves. We are doing it to service our facilities and exercise our body's abilities. We are doing it for quality and longevity of life. Often enough, I do it for new memories and adventures! ​

I'll say it one more time to really drive it home: I've never regretted a workout and I never will. Workouts of ALL kinds test my limits and push me past the point of quitting. Working out reminds me of my inner and physical strength. Working out has always filled me with a sense of "did it" which always reminds me that I can do anything. 

All of this workout talk can be directly related to the "Just Do It" in life.

Notice when you're always 'getting ready to get ready.'
When we pack our gym bag and then we make our pre-workout. Next, we choose what we're going to wear at the gym. Then we choose which gym we're going to. Then we call friends to see if they want to go....and if any of these circumstances get thrown off, it is predictable that our work out will get messed up. "So why even try?" "Why even go?" Sound like a familiar pattern in life outside of fitness? 

Career?
Family?
Relationship?
Goals?

Notice where you may be spending so much time and energy trying to prepare for something when you can just go and do right now. Take a look at where you allow your circumstances to get in your way so that you don't have to go do the uncomfortable thing. Where do you begin to avoid so that you don't have to break a sweat or feel any pain or soreness while becoming the best version of yourself?

I invite you to go back to the top of this post and reread it in regards to any area of life you are avoiding growth and getting out of your comfort zone. It is a chance to reflect on what degrees of difficulty will have you pack up on your dreams and head back home to your comfy couch. This article is an opportunity to realize where you call it quits on the fullest vision of yourself and the fullest version of your life because you may break a sweat. 

So in your work out and in your life, I challenge you to just freaking do it! Quit getting ready to get ready.
You are ready.
Lace up your shoes, put on your sweatband, and get to work!

Live the life you love, 
Abigial