You Take the Good, You Take the Mediocre

Let's face it, not every day can be the Workout of a Lifetime™. We have lives, things to do, work to get done, laundry to do, to tend to, cancer to cure... Ok, maybe not that last one. But the point is, every time isn't going to be spectacular.

I have days that I go to the gym, rock the Precor for an hour, do my strength training, come home and make this gloriously healthy dinner and I feel like running around the house to Eye of the Tiger. Then there are days I'm strapped to my desk, I'm lucky if I can choke down a yogurt and get 20 unenthusiastic minutes at the gym.

The point is, you've got to just do it, to quote Nike. Usually, if I'm not feeling motivated to go to the gym and I'm rattling off every excuse in the world (I have cramps, I have a headache, I'll go later, I have a hangnail... whatever it is), if I just force myself to go, I'm a better person for it. I consider that a triumph. Dedication means going, even if you really, really don't want to and dedication is an honorable thing.

Often, once I'm there and I'm 15 minutes into my cardio, I feel energized and motivated to keep going. But sure, there are times when I'm just not into it. I don't feel it. Maybe I'm fatigued, maybe I truly am not feeling well, maybe I've got other things on my mind that I'm consumed with. Some days at the gym are just... feh. And you know what? That is ok.

You were there and you made an effort. Tomorrow you might wake up prancing about like a gazelle on crack, ready to hit the gym and take on the world and more power to you! Go get 'em! Make the treadmill your bitch! But on days when you just aren't all there, don't get down about it. You went, you did it and that is what it's all about.

Now, I'm not saying make a habit of half-assed workouts, but life happens and sometimes things get in the way. But as long as you keep your head up, stay positive and realize that you're human, that maybe today wasn't the best workout of your life, at least you weren't camped out with a bag of Oreos and the remote.