Well, I finally started it today. And it was as awful as I thought it would be! It probably doesn't help that I'm not one of those people who enjoys working out. I like how I feel after I've worked out and I like how I feel when I'm in shape, but I hate the actual process of working out. It's just so exhausting. And now my legs hurt when I walk up and down the stairs and who wants that? I wanted to say something unpleasant to the man on the screen who kept telling me that I could go faster and that I should dig deeper. But I couldn't speak. I was too busy gasping for air like a fish lying on the bottom of a boat. Instead, I contented myself with thinking bad thoughts about him and the people who were on the video with him. People with six-packs and well-toned muscles in their arms and legs. People who were smiling and acting as though this was the best forty minutes of their lives. Like I said, not all that into working out.
However, I realized something as I was sitting on my couch gulping water in between my gasps for air. The worry and the fear don't help me make it through my workout. All they do is set me up to go into it already scared, already doubting my ability. Life tends to meet my expectations. And I'm not talking about an expectation to win the lottery and be wealthy. I'm talking about the attitude that I approach things with. If I go into it thinking that it is going to be awful, well it will probably be awful. If I go into it thinking that it will be awesome, it might not be awesome (it is a workout after all) but it won't be terrible. It will be challenging and possibly rewarding. Plus, there isn't space for me to be thankful that I'm able to move my body, able to do push-ups and squats and all sorts of things, when I'm only focused on how much I wish I didn't have to do those things. Gratitude gets squeezed out when I focus on the negative. And that applies to all areas of my life, including my workout.
photo from: cafepress.com
No comments:
Post a Comment