Better Late Than Never (#26)

“One year from now you’re gonna wish you started a year ago.” -anonymous

 

 

This quote is something that I keep in the back of my mind whenever I feel like “the ship has already sailed”. The reason it’s difficult to begin a task after taking time off is often because we start considering where we could or should be. The alternative to this, of course, is to focus on where we’re currently at.

 

In workout consistency, I discussed how it took me a long time to finally begin playing the guitar consistently. Initially, I had every intention of playing my guitar every day and getting really good at it. However, the “busyness of life” took over and before I knew it five years had passed without me knowing how to play much of anything at all! At that point I could have thrown in the towel, chalked it up as “wasn’t meant to be”, and just sold my guitar. But instead I recognized that in five more years from now I’ll have yet another opportunity to gain back that same five years of experience.

 

The key takeaway here is to… [*wait for it*] – GET STARTED NOW!

 

 

Each journey begins with a “TODAY”.

 

What are some improvement areas in your health and fitness that are “better late than never”? A 5k run? A meal prep plan? A lean body? Perhaps taking the first step means starting a new gym membership.

 

One of the things that keeps us feeling youthful and vigorous is keeping an optimistic outlook towards the future. In life, when we tell ourselves that it’s “better late than never” we give ourselves another opportunity to make things right. We know that we prioritize the things most important to us, so why not take advantage of time management strategies like Mini-Habits to get started? 🙂

 

Those of you who truly want this will have no problem getting started TODAY!

 

Trust me, your future-self will thank you 😉

 

Key Takeaways:

  • Focus on where you’re currently at (today), rather than where you “should or would” be
  • Starting “late” rather than never
  • We will always be able to make time for things that are important to us
  • A year from now you’ll be grateful you started a year ago
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Exercise Longevity: What’s Your ‘Why’? (#8)

Picture of man running.

Years ago I was at a place in life where I completely lost the motivation to exercise regularly. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for me to bounce back and start a new routine. What’s interesting is that during this period I began discovering ‘why’ exercising was important to me again.

 

Like most things we commit to in life, it’s important to figure out the ‘why’ in what we’re doing.

 

 

It doesn’t hurt to reflect on your current progress every once in a while.

 

Since I decided to take ownership over my health and well-being again, I had to figure out why I wanted to get back into my workout routine again.

 

My reason?

 

I knew that regular exercise kept me balanced in other areas of life, and helped me to become a better person.

 

While setting goals for your exercise program is important, your reason (WHY) serves as the backbone for your goal and takes it a step further. Quite frankly, the reason for your goal is a lot more stable than the feeling associated with your goal.

 

Having a meaning to your exercise not only gets you started but keeps you going.

 

Chances are you’re not going to feel as motivated at the gym on “Day 56” as you did on “Day 1”, but the reason why you’re working out should remain the same on both days.

 

Feelings of motivation ignite the flame, but your ‘why’ keeps the flame going.

 

In order to get the most out of your wellness experience whatever you’re doing has to be meaningful to you. A good way to begin is by identifying your personal desires. Furthermore, activities such as writing things out and daily meditation are powerful tools to use to empower you along your fitness journey.

 

Key Takeaways:

  • Take ownership over your well-being
  • Figure out the reason for why you’re committing to your exercise routine
  • “Motivated feelings” change far more that “meaningful reasons”
  • Make whatever you’re doing become meaningful to you
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Optimistic Opportunities (#6)

*Snap!*

 

*Pop!*

 

“OUCH!”

 

A couple of years back I was playing a game of pick-up basketball and snapped a ligament in my right knee. With the inevitable 9-12 months rehab process awaiting me after surgery, you can imagine how devastated I was. However, despite feeling down I realized that nothing could change the fact that this happened. This incident presented me with an optimistic opportunity:

 

Either I could play victim to the injury or I could make the most out of the situation.

 

After tearing my ACL back in 2016, I was faced with the decision to not play basketball anymore.

 

I decided to accept this optimistic opportunity that life seems to give us all from time to time. I soon became more and more enamored with the idea of “my own personal comeback story” and started the process of taking each day one step at a time.

 

Eventually, this process helped me realize

 

My negative feelings weren’t the result of the injury itself, but rather, my perception of the injury.

 

This changed everything for me.

 

Having the right viewpoint can give proper context to any situation.

 

Thankfully, we can begin changing our perceptions in many areas of our lives. For instance:

 

Instead of:

 

“I can’t believe I failed my certification exam again”,

 

How about:

 

“Now I get an opportunity to study and gain an even greater understanding of the material than if I had passed this time around.”

 

Instead of:

 

“I can’t believe my girlfriend broke up with me”

 

How about:

 

“Now I focus 100% on my mental, emotional, and physical well-being so I can attract someone even better down the line.”

 

Working out with friends and surrounding yourself in an encouraging environment is pro move.

What about the optimistic opportunities in your everyday health and fitness?

 

  • Are you a hopeless overweight, or “a continuous work in progress”?
  • Is exercise consistency  hard, or “something that takes time to develop a little bit each day”?
  • Did you “fail” to complete your treadmill time, or take “small, positive steps towards your goal”?

 

You decide!

 

 

Key Takeaways:

  • Disappointments are opportunities to change your perception
  • Negative emotions come from negative perceptions (not the circumstance itself)
  • You decide the perception of your situation
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Why Exercise? (Exercise Incentives) (#2)

Throughout the years I’ve learned to look at my exercise routine as a daily journey. The past several years of my exercise journey have taught me key values like discipline, consistency and mental focus, as well as a comprehensive understanding of how our body works. These exercise incentives have taught me the value of regular exercise.

 

This questions unlocks the key to you enjoying your lifelong fitness journey.

 

Excellent question! People have all sorts of exercise incentives: to fit into that wedding dress they love, a desire to feel stronger, to gain more confidence, to clear one’s head after a long day of work – the list goes on. So with that, I’m going to answer the above question with another question:

 

How does keeping good health impact the things that are most meaningful to you in life?

Your health affects not only yourself, but also your family, friends, and loved ones.

 

For instance:

    • Does the ability to squat down and play with your grand-kids someday have any meaning to you?
    • How about feeling more energetic throughout your work day?
    • Do you want to be able to sleep better at night before those big business meetings in the mornings?
    • How about a stress release at the end of a long work day?
    • How important is your health for those home & gardening projects you love so much?

 

Here’s the key: We’ll only commit to a purpose if it adds value and meaning to our lives.

 

Stop and write down the things that are important to you in life. Really think about it. Your exercise incentives are personalized to you.

 

Keeping others in mind while exercising puts you into a different mindset.

 

Whether it’s family, business, hobbies, or personal well-being, there are exercise incentives in just about every area of our lives. This is why it’s so important to constantly remind ourselves of what (or whom) we’re exercising for. Doing so also keeps us consistent on our journey at times where we don’t feel like working out.

 

Here are some additional exercise incentives:

  • Increased lifespan
  • Oxygenated body
  • Reduced risk of diabetes
  • Improved memory
  • Decreased stress

 

Even if you’ve been putting off exercise for a while – don’t worry about it! Instead, recognize today as a new day and start celebrating the beginning of a new YOU!

 


Key takeaways:

  • Your health impacts the quality of those things which are valuable and meaningful to you in life
  • Your exercise incentives are unique and personalized to you
  • It’s important to constantly remind ourselves of what (or whom) we’re exercising for
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