Start Now.

It’s not the New Year and it’s not six weeks from Labor Day. It’s the beginning of August. So why can’t we start now? I don’t understand why people wait for meaningless dates to make changes. We base nothing in our daily lives off the time of year other than when we decide to get healthy. And even if you do find yourself in your everyday life putting something off because of the time of year or the time of the month, my advice is to S.T.O.P.

Non-fitness example: spring cleaning. Why, oh why, would you wait until the weather is finally nice to spend all weekend inside cleaning out your closet? When you notice that it’s getting cluttered you should aim to clean it within the next week, not the next season. There’s never going to be the perfect time to do something and putting it off makes it less and less desirable.

Non-fitness example number two: healthy eating. The only time it’s acceptable to put off healthy eating is if you’re really starting from scratch and there is food in your house that you have to get rid of. This could mean eating it. This could mean giving it away. This could mean freezing it. I am not a proponent of throwing food away, so by all means do what you need to do to get rid of it responsibly. HOWEVER, once the thought enters your mind that healthy eating must now be a priority, your next trip to the grocery store must look different than the one before. The funny thing about healthy eating is that it’s actually not rocket science. Walk around the perimeter of the store (produce, meat/poultry/fish, dairy) and load up the cart. I know you’ve heard that one before. Commit to ONE day at a time and do not feel surprised when you wake up the next day and feel good.

Fitness example (and what I’m really getting at): THE GYM. I have been going to the gym for a long time. Yes, it is more crowded in January. But you can’t pretend that the only time of the year that we are all motivated to go to the gym is after we eat a bunch of cookies over the holidays. Here is a trick- if you work out consistently, 1) you probably won’t end up eating a lot of cookies because now you give AF and 2) it probably won’t matter if you eat a lot of cookies. Too much emphasis is put on motivation to get to the gym. I’m not motivated every day, but it’s important to me so I go anyway. I don’t always have an epic workout, but I finish it anyway. Are you motivated every day to sit in a cubicle for 8 hours in the freezing cold? I sure bet you’re not, but you do it anyway because you get something out of it. Money, time away from home, whatever it is, you still show up. That’s all I ask of you in the gym. SHOW UP. Don’t start Monday, start TODAY. I bet you belong to a gym. I bet you pass one on your way home from work. I bet you have workout attire. No one ever got anything done by putting it off. You will be glad you did and plus, you can’t use any of that money you got at your job without your health.

Today, I woke up unsure of what to do in the gym. I wasn’t really motivated to go. Did I stay home and make pancakes? NO. I went to the gym, went downstairs to a secluded area, and did whatever the heck I wanted. I didn’t need motivation to make myself get through it or to work hard because it’s what I do and I get a lot more out of it than I put into it. If I needed a rest day then I would have taken one. Listen to yourself, let go of the schedule and just move.

To this, I added three additional 5 minute circuits. Did as many rounds as possible in 5 minutes for all four combinations. Twice through. Solid 45 minute conditioning with NO treadmill in sight. The rest: