Running In Circles: What I Learned From A Gym Early-Bird

As you may know from some of my other posts, I’m an avid exerciser. Not because I’m looking to compete, but rather because it’s been a part of my wellness strategy since I gave up the pom-poms my senior year and laced up the track sneaks! I've been hooked ever since.

Granted, I’ve had to modify my exercise routine over the years as my body ages and subtly or overtly tells me to slow down. To make a long story short, I have to do some warm-up exercises now for my left shoulder before I swim my morning laps.

Now, I typically swim three mornings a week at 5:30 a.m., and this morning as I was driving I thought, "How early am I really willing to get up to do my warm-ups before I actually exercise?"

That 5:00 a.m. alarm is about all I can tolerate.

So when I arrived this past Monday morning at about 5:22 a.m., I saw something quite out of the ordinary for a Monday morning at the gym. In front of me was a parked car, with the windows down, blasting motivating music, circled by a gentleman running laps in the parking lot.

He wasn't just running, he was warming up, waiting for the the doors to the facility to be unlocked at 5:30 a.m. sharp so he could start his workout.

And there it was - my answer. If this person is focused on his pre-exercise routine in an unconventional way and clearly not bothered by it, why should I? While this is a somewhat trivial example, this person defied the norms of how, when and where you warm up for exercise.

He demonstrated:

• Focus on results

• Bravery

• Creative problem-solving

• Fortitude

Creative solutions that maximize your time serves:

• Yourself

• Your Team

• Your Mission

Don't let the norms set by those around you stop you from stepping up your game.

Get creative! And if need be, run around the parking lot a few times.

Feeling burnt out? Not feeling like you have a lot of creative solutions to your daily work problems? Perhaps we should chat.

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