The other day I just did not want to work out.

I was tired. I had a lot going on. Most of the time I look forward to my workouts, but not at that moment. It was the last thing I wanted to do.

But I knew that if I didn’t keep my commitment to myself, it’d be easier to break that commitment again – and again.

I also knew that it would have a ripple effect, making it easier to break other commitments to myself, too.

This is why it’s so important to keep showing up for yourself!

So I grumbled a little bit, and started to get ready. First, I packed my workout bag.

Then I looked at some Instagram fitpros for inspiration. 😉

And then I made a deal with myself. I told myself, “10 minutes.” If I wanted to quit in 10 minutes, I could.

Half the battle was just getting to the gym, right?

I’m not going to say I had an awesome workout. But I listened to music and got it done.

And I felt better than I would have if I hadn’t gone.

Kinda proud of myself, actually.

I can tell you that it wasn’t NEARLY as bad as I made it out to be in my head.

The truth is, you have to show up, even if it’s just for yourself. ESPECIALLY if it’s for yourself, because that helps you show up even better for others.

It’s not any different than important chores you want to skip, or the little treats you are tempted to sneak in when no one is looking.

The more you let things slide, the easier it is to keep doing so. They don’t call it a ‘slippery slope’ for nothing.

I think we’ve all said these things to ourselves before:

  • “Skipping my workout today won’t make a real difference, anyway.”
  • “I’ll get back at it tomorrow.”
  • “I’m really tired/hungry/stressed because work was crazy today, I just want to go home and relax…preferably with a glass or two of wine.”
  • “Just one more cookie won’t matter.”
  • “It’s so dark out this morning, I don’t want to get out of bed.”

And obviously, sometimes you HAVE to miss a workout or change up your nutrition – maybe you’re sick or it’s super busy at work, or you have an important family commitment. Life happens.

But here’s the question: Are you showing up for yourself the way you promised?

No one says every workout has to be a record-setter, but I’d argue that the workouts you don’t want to do (or those diet temptations you find hard to overcome) are the MOST important.

They help strengthen another set of ‘muscles’: your motivation, your confidence in yourself, and your inner knowing that when the chips are down, you CAN count on YOURSELF to get the job done.

And that’s a pretty amazing feeling.

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What do you do when motivation runs low? Let us know in the comments below!

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