Friday, May 16, 2008

It's a Choice

Working out and eating right is a choice

I prefer to get up early in the mornings. Some of my friends think I'm crazy for this, but I feel more energetic and productive when I'm up before the sun. These are the moments when I am most motivated to exercise. This doesn't always happen, however. Sometimes projects and deadlines loom, forcing me to work late into the night.

After a running errands and working yesterday, I was a bit beat. My body yearned to relax, to blow off exercise, but there was no way I was going to even remotely consider blowing off the first day of PCP! So I grabbed my gym bag with my workout clothes and jump rope, and off to the studio I went.

I had an incredible workout. For one, I was able to do 200 consecutive jumps with the jump rope. That's a new personal record for me. Squats ended up making me walk like a robot, but I felt great.

I realized it's a choice.

It's so easy to be directed by how we feel. Modern day marketing plays of this so well. Monolithic billboards of big, juicy burgers beckon our stomachs to indulge; but what makes us obey these urges? Our emotions -- how we feel.

We feel like consuming these things. We feel like watching TV. We don't feel like working out. Emotions are a great at fueling our creativity and passions, but they are horrible at logically dictating our needs. In fact, they only get in the way. I've realized that I have to start choosing.

I will choose to exercise. I will choose to watch what I eat. I will choose to achieve peak condition. When we choose, we are in control. When we choose to choose, we can make the "right" choices even in our weakest of moments.

3 comments:

Sean said...

200 consecutive jumps? I'm impressed, and a little jealous as I've only been able to get about 175. That's pretty awesome, man.

I've always thought that it was unfortunate that our natural reaction to our free time is to sit around and do nothing, to become just like a sloth (except for, you know, hanging from trees and such). You're exactly right about all of this being a choice and luckily for us the euphoric feeling that I'm sure we all get after our daily workouts gives us renewed focus and drive to continue on our paths. It helps us realize that while it may be hard, it is so very worth it.

Keep rockin' it.

Corry said...

Hmmm, very true about it being a choice. Each moment comes down to us choosing. I'll hang onto that when I want to talk myself outta a workout. So you've got the robot walk happening too eh? I keep reminding myself that this leg pain I feel when I bend to pick up the kids is the GOOD kinda pain.

Patrick said...

The good news is that as you keep making good choices they don't seem like such a big deal. The little devil's voice on your left shoulder gets quieter and quieter, until one day (around day 40 for me) he just shuts up.

And suddenly your not spending all day trying to make good choices, you're just doing your thing.