On the Days I Want to Skip the Gym

Lately, my normal bedtime routine has gotten pretty messed up. What with the Cavs in the Finals, spending more nights out than usual, and having to get to work earlier, I haven’t been getting nearly enough shut-eye.

While normally I can power through a few nights of less than optimal sleep, I have been majorly struggling the last few weeks with the inconsistent schedule.

As a result of the weird schedule, I ended up skipping the gym for like a week a while back, being a little tired and not at my best at work and feeling too awake to go to sleep late at night. (As a side note: I also wasn’t reading any books before bed anymore and it felt like a little part of my soul was missing).

The one thing that really stood out to me was how hard it was for me to go to the gym. I have been really good about waking up and getting my butt going, but for the last few weeks the part of my brain that’s been saying “just crawl back in bed” has been winning.

This morning I got that same little voice.

After the crazy weekend I had, I decided that it was time to recommit to my healthy living goals. So even though I went to bed late last night, I set my alarm for 4:50 AM and almost instantly fell asleep (thank you Sandman and ZMA).

The light music of my alarm woke me up at 4:50 on the dot and I turned it off and strongly considered staying in bed for another hour and 15 minutes. But…I knew that I needed to go to the gym and do my benchpress day.

I begrudgingly got up and padded into the bathroom. After splashing my face with water and brushing my teeth, I considered crawling back into bed again.

But no.

I would not be defeated today.

I got dressed and put my shoes on and hopped in my car. As I was driving up the hill to the gym I considered turning around and going back home to sleep again. I was literally there and considered not going.

Finally, I got into the gym and started lifting. And felt SO MUCH BETTER. It was a good workout, not my best, but solid.

So…what was it that kept my going and motivated me to get to the gym?

It was the fact that I knew that I would feel better when I got there and started working out.

As much as I like to try and deny it when I am having one of those “omg all I wanna do is sleep more and cuddle” mornings, getting to the gym and starting my workout at 5:05 AM makes my whole day better.

I have more energy, my body feels better, my brain feels like it works better, I am happier, and I just have a better day overall. Getting my lifting in is more than just burning calories and building muscle, it gets my whole day started out on the right foot.

Plain and simple.

That’s the motivation that helps me push through the laziness and exhaustion. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for taking care of yourself and getting the rest you need when you need it. But sometimes, sometimes you need to push yourself a little harder to get back on track.

That’s what I needed to do today and I am so glad I did.

So the next time your alarm goes off and you don’t want to go to the gym or start your workout, think about how good you feel two minutes after starting your work out.

It’s an almost foolproof motivation method.