Every night when I go to bed, I thank God for our comfortable bed. I don't want to ever take my warm and comfy bed for granted. I've even facebooked (look! a verb!) about how comfortable I think my bed is. Weird, maybe - but I do take pleasure in relatively simple things, I think.
The worst part of my day
So, the thought of getting up early to exercise seemed ridiculous to me! When I started my new job, I met some people who purposefully get up two hours before they HAVE to just for the purpose of working out. Ridiculous, I say! I said I could never do that. I said there's no way in H-E-Doublehockeysticks that I would ever get up early on purpose... just to work out.
And now I'm doing it.
Say what?
Yep. There's a few things working here:
- I'm working outside my home now so the time I have at home is much more coveted than it has been in the past.
- Time with my kids is precious to me, and I'm tired of taking time away from them to work out in the evenings before they go to bed.
- I'm working a demanding job (physically demanding, sometimes emotionally demanding, and psychologically challenging at times) so I'm SPENT at the end of the day, which means there's no room for a late workout.
How do I do it? How did I finally teach myself to get up early to work out before starting my day? The answer is simple. The answer seems ridiculous to most people. The answer is this: I left it up to God.
I literally told God that there was no way in H-E-Doublehockeysticks (maybe I didn't use that expression, maybe I simply said no way on Earth) that I was going to be able to get up early on my own. I told God that if I was going to start getting up early for a workout, that HE was going to have to get me up.
So, He did.
One night, I went to bed on time and asked God to please help me appreciate the insanity of working out in the early mornings, and the next day, I woke before my alarm clock. (Not much before... not enough time for a full workout, but enough time to feel the earlyness and to learn that early will not kill me.)
Another night, I went to bed and asked God to help me get up with enough time to work out before getting ready for work. The next day, my kid wet her bed (unusual!) and so I had to get up to change the sheets.
Some mornings it's simply that I have to pee at the buttcrack of dawn and so there I am - UP, with plenty of time to exercise before work.
Do I enjoy it? Not so much. Is it fun? Meh, nope! Is it worth it? ..... oh HECK YEAH. My day starts earlier but I get more accomplished. My appetite is better throughout the whole day. I'm in a better mood after work. I have the whole evening to play with my kids instead of plotting my workout. It's way worth it.
And that is how this non-morning person has managed to get up by 5am on recent mornings to enjoy an early workout before my usual shower and morning routines begin at 6:45.
And - truth be told - a 3 mile run at dawn is way more enjoyable than at 5pm or 8pm or 10pm. Mornings are beautiful! The sounds are beautiful, the sky is pretty, the calmness in the streets and in neighborhoods is beautiful. There's beauty to early mornings. I just needed to learn to appreciate it. Thanks, God, for showing me how to act like a morning person! :)
1 comment:
Since changing jobs, I too have been getting up early to work out before work. My driving force? My dislike of exercising in crowds. Only one other person uses the fitness center at work, at 7am.
Post a Comment