Exercise is a great stress reliever for me. I know my day will be better the next day if I spend at least 20 minutes working up a sweat. I can focus. I’m smarter, funnier, and better looking after working out a couple days in a row. Maybe that last part is because of the confidence I get from the feeling of accomplishment.

But, I’ve been having trouble getting back into a routine.

So, I thought I would tell the internet that I’m having trouble and write up the things that I do that encourage me to exercise regularly.

1. Forgive myself for getting out of shape
   If I haven’t worked out in a while, I feel a little ashamed. I know if feels good to work out, but why did I do this - or not do this - to myself. I have to let this feeling go and focus on the present
2. Start off small. I start off with a small goal. If I’m feeling winded, maybe just start off with a small warm up to get the body moving. I try not to compare myself with what I imagine I was able to do, what I should be able to do, and the ability that I see in others. Comparison is the thief of joy and the joy is from working out.
3. Have a time that I’m going to do this
   I have this problem with so many other things. It doesn’t matter if I want to do something if I don’t set aside time to do it. You can’t move things forward if there isn’t a time for it.

Tomorrow, I plan on doing 5 pushups as soon as I get out of bed. Promise!

I recently ran a half-marathon. I thought I’d include the little video that they took off me limping across the finish line.