He noted that every time he gets in the car to head to the gym, he's hoping that the car won't start, or hopes he gets a flat tire along the way. But he goes to the gym anyway, but not because he loves going or even necessarily enjoys working out once he gets there. According to Dr. A, he exercises because having a strong body and strong muscles enables him to do something that he really loves: skiing down majestic mountains with his daughters. Because he wants to spend a day on the slopes with his family instead of sitting in front of a fire at the lodge, he knows that he needs to hit the gym and work out with a trainer to ensure he's ready when it's time to ski.
Dr. A's admission - and his choices - perfectly illustrate the point that once we know what it is that we really want, we will make secondary choices that support our primary choice. Those secondary choices are often things that we don't like to do and things that we would probably never do if they didn't help us get something we really wanted.
That principle rang true for me yesterday when I laced up my shoes and headed outside for a long walk. We are coming out of a long, cold winter, so it's been several months since I've taken a walk. We have a treadmill on the lower level of our house and I've hit the treadmill on occasion over the winter, but I've honestly been less than consistent.
Two things motivated me yesterday. First of all, the weather warmed up into the low 50's, and while that might sound chilly for those of you who live in warm-weather states, it felt downright balmy after the near-zero windchills we've had. With temperatures warming up and the sun shining, I just wanted to get outside for a while and enjoy some fresh air.
Second, we are leaving on a trip in two weeks and we'll be doing a lot of walking and possibly some hiking while we're gone. I am really looking forward to our trip and want to make sure that I'm truly ready for a full day of being on the go.
On top of wanting to enjoy nice weather and being ready for an active vacation, I also have a renewed commitment to creating optimal health in my life. I have the eating part of being healthy pretty well down (not perfect, but I'm doing well), I am fairly consistent about getting adequate rest and managing stress (being self-employed has done a lot to reduce my own stress level!) - all important components of what Dr. A calls "habits of health."
But those healthy habits, all good, aren't good enough to get me where I want to be, so exercise has to be a regular part of my life whether I feel like it or not. I say this because I know that I often don't feel like it. Because it's not my favorite activity, exercise is the first thing that falls off my schedule when things get busy. But other things ARE important to me - short-term things like being able to walk and hike all day on our upcoming vacation and long-term things like being able to dance at my grandchildren's weddings (they are 8,6, and 4, so it's going to be a while!).
So I've put exercise on my schedule for today and will honor that appointment like I honor any other appointment, not because I really want to do it, but because I REALLY want to be healthy and active and optimally healthy for years to come. I'm going to follow my own advice and choose wisely :-)
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