I’ve been trying hard of late to get my exercise regimen back on track. But I keep hitting the same wall: sleep. Specifically, I can’t get my ass out of bed at the appointed time so I keep missing my workout window.
Mood music:
For a guy who used to obsessively walk 3.5 miles a day no matter the weather or amount of rest, this is baffling. True, I am pushing my mid-40s. But really, this shit still seems harder than it should be.
I’m not a sedentary guy. I usually take the stairs instead of the elevator at work. I run up and down three flights of stairs in my house all day. Erin and I take regular walks. Hell, I climbed all the way to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument last week!
But it’s not enough.
I know what I have to do. But I have to get around this fairly new problem of sleep getting in the way. I’ve always been an early riser. But to work out first thing in the morning, I need to be up by 4 a.m., and that’s not happening. It’s as if my body is staging a sleep protest, refusing to budge before 5 a.m. The simple answer is to exercise later in the day, except that life has a habit of getting in the way.
About now the reader is saying, “For crying out loud, just do it!” I can hear one of my tough-guy friends saying, “This post is escapism and blame.” I can see all those “Your Excuse Is Invalid” memes on Facebook.
Yes, yes. I know.
I have plenty of fresh motivation to get over this hump. A lot of friends my age are engaged in some serious weight-lifting programs. I know a lot of dedicated runners and swimmers. They do it, and so can I.
What I need to figure out is how to break through that first, most stubborn wall — the urge to stay in bed.