It’s the beginning of summer and I should not be up at 4 am. Or should I?
A few months ago, I made a commitment to myself to live my life like I have never done before, and to do things I previously believed impossible. After all, even those things that are right there, within a few millimetres of our grasp, might as well be lightyears away, because unless we hold and reach for them, we make them impossible.
My biggest struggle to date has been to refocus my mind and change some of my negative thinking, but I have realized that the human body is the key. It is a little easier to master. It is not as slithery and slippery as our limbic cortex.
The human body is strong and beautiful, but a very complex machine. Regardless, it is still a machine, and ready for transformation.
You work it. You feed it. You rest it. It will serve you well.
You let sit in idleness. You starve it. You work it to death. It will fall apart.
If I can conquer and submit my body to my will, my mind is sure to follow.
Back to 4 am.
It’s not easy.
Today felt, like that first day in December, when I started. I had to shovel the driveway first, before I could even begin the drive to lift some weights.
Don’t get me wrong. None of this is a struggle.
I have no complaints.
I am not about to tell you how terrible it is. How much effort it takes. That I’m a better person than you, because I am up early. That you should follow suit. Rah Rah Rah.
I have the opposite feelings.
I know how hard this is and I know why most people don’t do it. I am and was most people.
It is very interesting. Once the first five minutes of the treadmill burn away, I begin to feel fantastic, and sitting here right now, enjoying my coffee and writing, feels absolutely heavenly.
We sometimes look at things the wrong way.
We are conditioned to be negative.
We talk about sacrifice. Commitment. Sweat. Hard work. Pain. No gain.
Yet we forget to mention the benefits.
Let’s start with the ability to keep our commitments to ourselves. Or the sudden reality how quiet and peaceful darkness and morning can be. It is truly awesome to behold and realize that there are billions of stars that send light into the universe no matter what, and not just when we go camping.
We need to be reminded of this, because I know we all know.
No matter how much we think we know, we really don’t know.
Weight training is not painful at all. It just requires effort and energy.
One of the great benefits of lifting weights is strength. Your muscles just surround you. They begin to help your aching joints. Bending, moving, and climbing stairs, becomes just a little bit less burdensome, especially as you get older.
Besides strength, you get to eat a lot too. The healthier your plate, the less you need to count what you are eating. Have you noticed that every menu in Canada now shows what the nutritional information is? Have you also noticed that there is no nutritional information on fruit and vegetables? That’s probably because while you may, in tears or laughter consume a whole bag of chips or tub of ice-cream, no one will ever sit down to eat a bag of carrots or devour six pints of blueberries.
We need to change our mindset about time.
We need to change our mind about weight training.
Time is just time. We do what we want to do because we want to do it. We never miss going to work. We don’t miss our doctor’s appointment. We don’t miss our coffee in the morning. Why do we miss everything else? It makes no sense. Unless of course, we have a warped sense of time.
Weight training is important.
Building muscle is the only long term solution.
Pick up heavy things. Put them down. Repeat. Feed your body protein, clean carbohydrates, vitamins, and some essential oils.
Your muscles will grow. Your metabolism will increase. In time. In slow, but deliberate steps, your body will become a sexy beast.
Give it a year. Pick a time of day that works. Even if the only time that works is 4 am.
Go out and dig your ditch. Pick up the shovel, when it is raining and when its sunny. When you are tired, and well rested. When it is Monday, or Saturday. Do it in winter as well as summer. Just keep digging and digging and digging.
In time. You will have your very own story to tell.
Now go reap some benefits. Go pick something up and put it down.
