Gratitude

So you're in the gym, you've just gotten started, or you want to start.

You may have picked up speed for a couple weeks, but then things start to get hard.

Or if you haven't started, your momentum is slow.

How do you get out of this rut?

Let me ask you another question:

Have you ever gotten sick?

I'm pretty sure the answer is yes.

When you get sick, the only thing you think about is not being sick. Even if it's just a stuffy nose, you want to just breathe normally.

Since we're in the workout game, if you get an injury, all you think about is getting back into the gym. Even if that means being able to do what you could do at 50% capacity, you wish you could just do anything.

But then in true human being fashion, as soon as we get back to normal, we forget all about that low point. (How often do you think about breathing when you have a clear nose? Probably never.)

It makes us forget about the little things, the opportunities we have every day.

There's a up side and a down side to getting into the gym. The gym means progress, which means setting goals, which means always looking towards the future. There's nothing wrong with that, but it makes you forget about the present moment.

The hardest thing to do is to find a middle ground.

Just do a quick gratitude brain dump.

Reason for the Season

For anyone reading this, in the United States we're in Thanksgiving season. It's a day where we stop and reflect over what we're grateful for (then we eat a lot).

What does gratitude mean? "It's obvious" you might say, but I was stumped when I had to explain to our kid.

I think it can be summed up as "being happy that you have something in your life."

If you do that, if you just sit and think about all that you have, then it makes you happy.

It can be anything:

Happy that you're alive.

Happy that you have a body.

Happy that you're able to workout.

All the little things that you normally pass by without a thought are brought to the forefront of your thinking. If you're reading these words, that means you have an internet connection to be able to read them and a device that lets you connect to the internet.

Then zoom out. Not everyone has the time to go to the gym. Not everyone has a completely functioning body that's able to do all the movements (although some that can't are still making it happen). There are some people that are sick or not in a position to be able to go to the gym.

There's always someone that wishes they had what you have.

If that's the case, then the next step would be to honor what you have with action.

Gratitude for the Gym

I'm not about to suggest that you get a physical journal for this, sip some tea in the morning and stare out at the sunrise while you do this.

You can do this on your smartphone and delete it.

You can even just do it in your head if you want to make it simpler.

Here it is:

• Write down (or think about) 10 things that you're grateful for.

That's it.

Pause for a moment and do this right now.

If you just did this every morning, you'll be setting the tone to be in a much better mood for the rest of the day. I don't do this all the time, but when I do, it works wonders.

Some people do this as part of their morning routine. Again, just use your phone, look over it, then delete it when you're done. The next day do it again. If you want to use your own brain and think about it, count using your fingers. No fancy gratitude journal required.

Examples:

This is a newsletter about the gym and working out, so let's do some thinking about what you could be grateful for that's health related:

• A body

• Being alive another day

• Having a home gym

• Having gyms within driving distance

• Having the internet with information that helps you figure out what to do in the first place

• Online fitness communities

The list goes on.

Now it's time to use the things that you were given.

Mindset Shift = Infinite Motivation

There are days when you don't "feel motivated."

I put that in quotes because I believe deep down we all want something, but it's covered with all the easier stuff that you can do instead.

The only problem with this is that your body isn't something you can ignore. It's not like getting motivated to practice guitar. Nothing will happen if you skip 6 months of guitar playing.

Yet our bodies are what help us move through space and survive.

I'm not going to lie, the gym isn't a pleasant place. It involves work, which is why a lot of people shy away from it. But when you put things into perspective, it will hopefully make you want to get up and do something. You begin to think "I have a body that needs movement. I have the time, so I should use it. I have information at my fingertips, so I should educate myself on gym things."

Even when you get into the gym groove, gratitude isn't preached enough. Working out is another form of improving yourself, which turns into goal after goal after goal. A way to not burnout is to appreciate where you are, no matter your current state. It also doesn't matter how little free time or limited resources you think you have. You can find the time and put it to better use.

Again, you're going to have to find the balance point. Be grateful for what you have now, and give yourself permission to strive for more. If you can live somewhere "in the middle," you'll be a much more cheerful person.

Plus, you won't give up.

On that note, I'm grateful for you, my readers. I hope you have a good Thanksgiving. Even if you don't live in the US of A, give yourself a gratitude day before we move on to the Christmas season.

If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to respond to this newsletter or you can fill out this questionnaire.