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- 11 | 🤜🏻 Staying consistent
11 | 🤜🏻 Staying consistent
Yo team,
I'm trying out sharing this email on Sunday nights as I usually tend to have a good bit of free time before then, and I think it's a nice way to end the week. Let's see how it goes! And don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already, for a lot more on enjoying life 😀
Towards the end of May, after a few tough football games, I realised I'd lost quite a bit of fitness. On top of this, I also have a half marathon looming in October (that I haven't trained for). And lastly, now that lockdown has finished, I'm out a lot, drinking and eating out.
Basically, it means I need to do more running. So, I decided that I was going to run everyday in June.
That way, I'd gain some fitness, get a good base in ahead of my HM training, and burn some extra calories.
So far, so good - today was my third full week of running.
What has surprised me doing this, is that the tough part isn't the physical part. Some days are easy, some are a bit more tiring - like most things in life. What is actually causing the most difficulty, is staying committed.
Carving out an hour (usually 30 mins run + 10-15m stretch + 15m shower) a day is surprisingly difficult. I also started when it was sunny, but in the last week the weather has taken a turn for the worst - which doesn't make running more attractive.
So how have I stayed committed?
🎯 Accountability
As much as I'm an advocate for the idea that nobody really cares what you're up to (cc: The Spotlight Effect), manufacturing some online accountability can work.
I've been posting every run with 'Daily #13/14/15' etc on my Strava account, and writing a short update on this Twitter thread.
There's something about sharing this process online that makes me feel like I should keep going.
🥅 End goal in sight
Quite simply, I love seeing the 'calories burned' stat.
Knowing that I'm burning an extra 2000 calories a week makes me feel a lot better about the amount of eating out/drinking I'm doing. I also know it's going to help for my HM training, and I can feel myself getting fitter.
Another way of putting this, is that I am enjoying the process. And that's the secret to staying committed to anything in life.
🚶🏻 Me vs myself
I think running every day is fairly easy from a physical standpoint (I run a mixture of 5Ks, play football, and a few 2/3Ks here and there).
However, the process of making the time everyday, and staying committed, isn't (at least for me). So this is a challenge to myself, to see if I can do it.
And so far, so good.
🧘🏻♂️ Daily stretching
I'm usually good at stretching properly after any form of exercise, and this month has been no different. I don't like yoga, so have never got into a good routine of consistent stretching. I can already see the benefits.
Setting myself a challenge like this has been rewarding and enjoyable so far, so I am going to continue doing so. Next up, I think I'll try yoga every day for a month. Which will probably be horrible.
Can't wait!
Thanks! 😎
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How am I 1% better this week? 📈
Similar to last week - I've stuck to my daily running.
What have I learned this week? 🤔
Wealthy people create and produce things
This Week’s Recommendation 🔝
📲 Wunderfind - a bloody brilliant iOS app that tells you how far away you are from a bluetooth device in real time. My headphones were lost to the world until I found this excellent (FREE) app.
This Week I’m: ⬇️
Reading 📚 - *The Millionaire Fastlane -* MJ DeMarco: Nobody makes a lot of $$$ selling their time for money - mainly because you don't have enough time.
Listening to 🎧 - I Did the Best I Could - Jim E Stack
Working on 👨🏻💻 - A new video about things I’ve enjoyed in May (still)
Looking forward to 🪐 - Reading the new book Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (author of The Martian which stands to be the best fiction I've ready alongside Boy Swallows Universe).
This Week’s Quote 💬
Ms. Rowling recalls the happiest point of her life—not the acquisition of millions, but the point at which she could write full-time. — The Millionaire Fastlane - MJ DeMarco
This Week’s Video 📺
Here's my video about 5 great habits. Enjoy!
There we have it!
Looking forward to catching up next week.