Holding the Course and Clearing the Path
Fat down, Money up
Holding the Course and Clearing the Path.
Why is it so hard for me to get up and exercise first thing in the morning?
I’ve asked myself this question a lot recently and today it dawned on me that it isn’t. It isn’t hard for me to get up and exercise first thing in the morning. In fact, I really enjoy doing it. The problem is, my mind and my body have been trained to do other things first.
For the past year and a half or longer I have consistently gotten up between 5:00 and 5:30 in the morning. Getting up early is not the problem. I like getting up early, especially in spring and summer. The problem for me is, during the past year and half, the first thing that I have generally done after waking up is go downstairs, sit on the couch and slowly start my day by checking email, looking at the price of various coins on CoinMarketCap, and responding to messages that I have gotten on social media.
For a long time now, the habit that I have established for myself is to sit down after waking up and work online.
These days, even though I enjoy getting up early and even though I enjoy exercising, there is this part of me that feels like a deeply buried magnetic force is pulling me toward the couch. I may want to exercise, but my body, through a year and a half or more of conditioning, feels like it needs to recline before it can do anything else.
Realizing that much of my reluctance to meet my daily exercise goals (Yes, that means that I am standing in my own way.) is very strongly connected to my prior behavioral conditioning has led me to the idea that sometimes, probably often, before we can achieve our new goals, we must first undue whatever conditionings we have that are holding us back.
Overcoming this urge to begin my day leisurely on the couch, just my iPhone and I, is now a top priority of mine.
This Week’s Accountability Report
Exercise:
Seven out of seven days
Weight:
On January 4, my weight was 82 kg. After a week of exercising, my weight rose slightly and clung to the 82.4 kg mark. Now, it seems to be staying closer to 81.4 kg. Can you call that weight loss? I don’t know.
Waist Measurement:
On January 23, I measured the circumference of my stomach just beneath my belly button at 107 cm. Today, I want to say that the measurement was 106.5 cm, but I have to admit that it isn’t easy to measure yourself consistently and accurately, so there may be no change in the size of my stomach yet.
Thoughts:
This week I was really determined to exercise everyday, and I did, sort of. For four days in a row, I did the 9-minute strength training exercise routine that I found through the NY Times this past December. On days when I missed doing this exercise routine in the morning, I made sure to do it in the evening. One night, I even talked two unsuspecting dinner guests into doing this exercise routine with me after a couple glasses of brandy and a large meal. It wasn’t pretty.
For the following three days I substituted this exercise routine with thirty to fifty minutes of shoveling snow. While shoveling snow certainly does qualify as an aerobic activity that works the muscles in your arms, legs, and core, I don’t fully feel like I achieved my goal of exercising everyday. I feel a little like I cheated, especially because yesterday, when I felt reluctant to begin a minute of squats and was succumbing to the pull of the couch, I was so happy to look outside and see fresh snow that needed shoveling.
Yes! I thought, I don’t have to exercise! I can just go and shovel and I’ll be all set for today.
Something about this enthusiasm made me feel like I was running from my exercise goals rather than trying to accomplish them. As a result, I consider my goal for this past week met, but I don’t feel satisfied with the way that I achieved it.
Looking forward, while continuing with my exercise routine, I want to focus on developing some new habits after getting out of bed. Namely, I want to keep myself from checking my phone. I want to start the day by drinking a glass of water while standing up. And, I want to avoid sitting on the couch, which might mean having to change the area that I exercise in because up until now I have been moving the coffee table in front of my couch and exercising in that space.
wow...!!! nice post @boxcarblue .. i like your Holding the Course and Clearing the Path post.. thanks for share the post
You’re welcome Jimmy. Thanks for stopping by.
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What is hard for you?
yes this growing problem. when we wake up in morning then dont do excercise but we check first our social acounts. this is very big problem. Yes if u effort for excercise , it is good for your health
Yeah, technology can definitely invade one’s personal space.
amen bro
😝🤘😁
Have you tried jumping into a cold shower first thing in the morning, that will get you motivated?!
No, I haven’t. But knowing me, I’d be less likely to exercise because I wouldn’t want to sweat after having showered:) It’s good advice, though. Thanks.
It has to be even a bigger challenge trying to do this with the cold. When it's too hot or too cold I don't want to do anything.
The only times I've actually lost a lot of weight was cycling hard and working in Tokyo while wearing a uniform in the summer. Both times I lost considerable weight. You gotta push yourself hard at our age.
Keep at it and maybe up your game.
Nice and great post boxcarblue.
Hope you will check my posts.