There is No Substitute for Doing the Work

I just realized I sound like my Father right now.  Or at least something my Father would SAY!!  LOL

Yesterday I had lunch with a new friend who is also on her journey to optimal health.  She is a wonderful bright and talented gal who is DOING THE WORK to get healthy.  I was struck once again in my own journey and watching the journey of people who are successful with this program, and one of the things they all have in common is that they are DOING THE WORK.

I thought about how my Marathon training is really building upon what I developed by doing this plan, namely perseverance and doing the work.

When I was running 16 miles last Sunday, which was on my schedule so I had to do it, I really didn't WANT to be there logging those miles.  In fact, I had done everything I could that morning to delay my getting my shoes on and getting out the door SO MUCH SO that I ended up having to run my 16 miles in the HEAT of the day, which in February in Arizona it was unseasonably warm at 85 degrees. 

To say I battled my self-chatter that day is an understatement.  It was mortal combat, no question about it.  But I've been training myself over the last few years to DO the DOING that needs to be DONE regardless of how I feel about it.

I'll tell you what the FUN part was for me, the FUN part was buying my white board and all those colorful markers to plot out my training schedule.  THAT was fun!  It was SO fun TELLING people I was going to RUN A MARATHON!  It was exciting buying the plane ticket to Paris, finding an amazing place to stay, buying my backpack for my trip, and getting the running shoes.  Talking with the saleslady at the running store about which tpe of compression socks to buy?  THAT was super fun.  Blogging about how I'm going to go to Paris and run the Marathon?  Super super duper FUN!  

But in all of he planning, plotting, dreaming, organizing, wishing, hoping, talking, working out the details, clearing my schedule, in all of that thre was really only ONE THING that HAD to be done in order to accomplish what I said I want to accomplish. 

Logging the miles.  Doing the actual training I planned to do.  Whether I felt like it or not.  Most times not, actually. 

Can I say it is getting hard?  Very hard.  I am up to the mileage now that, I think, separates those who are INTERESTED in running a marathon from those who are COMMITTED to running a marathon.  And to be honest it is stretching me well past my comfort zone, and you would think I'd have that question answered by now of "am I interested or am I committed?"

I don't think I'll know the answer to that question until AFTER I participate in the actual race.  I know that the mornings I wake up and have a "long run" day (Sunday is 18 miles) I STAY in the INTERESTED category until I get out there and prove to myself I am committed by LOGGING THE MILES that day.  DOING THE WORK that day.

So I ask, are you interested in becoming optimally healthy?  Or are you COMMITTED to transforming yourself into an optimally healthy person?  Because the difference is in the DOING.

I'll tell you a quick litmus test which will help you determine where you are on that scale of interested-to-committed.  Here is it.  Are you ready?

What did your day look like yesterday?  Were you 100% on plan with your eating?  Did you follow your eating schedule?  Did you weigh your lean protein?  Did you measure your veggies?  Did you drink your water?  Did you space your meals out every 2.5-3 hours?  Did you limit your condiments to 3 and not put anything in your mouth eating or drinking-wise that was NOT on your plan?  If you did these things, you are committed.  If you did NOT do these things, you CAN be committed if you do them today. 

The fine line between interested and committed is in the DOING.  So, are you DOING?  Or, like me and my whiteboard and markers and shoes and talk, are you so enthralled with the "getting ready" part that you aren't DOING that which you SAY you want to do? 

Are you playing on the edges of commitment? 

I hit a danger zone in January with my training.  I had been traveling quite a bit, almost every weekend in fact, and I had a massive cold so I did not MAKE time to faithfully DO my training.  I recovered, and am back on my schedule, but it really shook me a bit to think that I could still be INTENDING to run the Marathon in April, still be PLANNING on doing it, but NOT DOING THE WORK.  It was a reality check for me.  I got myself in gear and submitted once again to my training schedule, that schedule that I had been so careful to put together in November.

I have 8 miles to run this afternoon.  I will accomplish them whether I feel like it or not.
There is just no substitute for doing the work.  Are you willing to do the work....today?

Rinse and Repeat!