Momentum Monday: Thank Yourself

We live in a society that thrives on instant gratification.  You need to get a hold of someone?  Call their cell phone.  If they don't answer, you text them.  If they don't text back you can check Facebook or Twitter if they have posted about their whereabouts.  Etc, etc, etc...we can find who and what you want without having to exert too much energy.

This also includes our expectations of fitness.  We start a new routine and expect results almost immediately and feel disappointed when we don't have that instant gratification we have become so used to.  For the most part, people want to put in the least amount of effort and expect the greatest amount of results.  What you put into it, is what you get out of it. 

So why not put in the extra effort and time to be with yourself and take care of yourself?  We live and work each day taking care of other people and their priorities, whether it be at home or work, we hardly work on our own priorities and interests.  Exercise is the one thing that we can do and be selfish about, because the only person that is going to benefit from it is you.  This is the time to do something for yourself and enjoy the time you have with you.  It is quite enlightening what you learn when you have to focus on yourself.  You find your likes and dislikes and become passionate about things that you may have never really cared much about.

This brings me to this week's Momentum Monday.  I like to get my daily runs in during my lunch time, especially during the winter when daylight is scarce before and after work.  It also helps to break up my day and allow me to shake off some stress that I'm inevitably under while at my desk all day.  It helps me clear my head and come back to work with a renewed sense of purpose.  It's amazing what some endorphines in the middle of the day can do to you.  It is also a way for me to have some time to myself and enjoy a sport I've grown so passionate about over this past year.  My fitness level is slowly growing, my weight is slowly going down and I am doing something every day that I will one day in the future be eternally grateful for.

So your Momentum Monday Mantra is:

I know we all have busy schedules, or injuries that we are tending to, or life situations that make our daily lives so cluttered and unruly at times, but that is the time when we need that little time to ourselves.  To do something, anything physical, if only taking a nice long, leisurely walk, to give back to our current and future self.  The fitness level in the future and stress relief in the present will be well worth the effort.  So thank your present and future self, by investing in that time with yourself.