“Know better, do better”—Easier said than done

We’ve all heard it. We get the point. But why is the do-ing so hard?

After two+ months of ignoring my exercise bike (and my fitness altogether), I’m finally back in the game. But I had to life-hack my way into convincing myself it’s what I wanted. It used to be in our unfinished basement, so I asked my husband to help me bring it up to my office. Certainly having it stare at me all day would make me get on it! Nope.

After a few weeks of tripping over its feet, I asked my husband (and my brother-in-law because I wasn’t carrying that thing up another flight of stairs) to bring it up to the bedroom. That would DEFINITELY work! It would be the FIRST thing I would see in the morning! I could jump on, even in my pajamas, take a shower, and start my day! Did that work? Nope, not at all.

Obviously, I KNOW better:

• I had reasons for making the investment in the first place. GOOD ones! Deep, meaningful ones! (And they worked for a while.)
• I know the importance of exercise. I know it improves your bones, heart, lungs, muscles, AND your brain function (what entrepreneur doesn’t NEED that?).
• I know, on an emotional and physiological level, it improves your mood and helps you feel better!
• I know that exercise encourages me to eat better
• It improves posture,
• Energy levels,
• Better sleep…

I KNOWWWW better. So whyyyyy didn’t I just DO better? A lot of things, perhaps...

✓ Habits
✓ Programming
✓ Limiting beliefs
✓ Ego
✓ Poor time management
✓ Lack of discipline
✓ Lack of motivation
✓ Lack of accountability

I used to LOVE exercising.

5 days a week I used to ride my bike to work, then ride it to the gym, take a class, run on the treadmill, then ride my bike home and make myself a vegetarian dinner (sans-dairy). In high school, there was a period of time when I got up at 5:30 to go to the gym and run on the treadmill before school, then go to volleyball practice after school. So why, now, is it so hard?

Side note: I’ve gotten into the habit of being the observer of my thoughts. Because I know my thoughts create my emotions, and I know that if I can focus enough on thinking thoughts that support me and my mission I’ll feel good, and when I feel good I’ll take inspired action AS THE PERSON who thinks those thoughts! Opposed to not paying attention at all, and letting limiting thoughts run my life on autopilot.

So in all this observing and thinking and questioning why I’m not DOING, it hit me! I used to be obsessed with exercise because I didn’t love myself. I didn’t love my legs, or my waste, or how clothes fit. I was bullied in school and wanted so desperately to be liked, to be seen.

But I’m not that young girl anymore. I DO love myself. I appreciate my body and the miracles it’s created. I know that I AM beautiful despite the cellulite and wrinkles and OMG THE GREY HAIR I FOUND THIS WEEK!  

I had my subconscious mind programmed to believe that exercise meant I hated myself. And at this point in my life, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

I needed to remember my old why, refute it, and rewrite a new story for myself. I needed to tell myself that I wanted to exercise because I LOVE myself and I want to give all the gifts of exercise to myself. 

Our programming and habits control more of our lives than we know.

So if you’re not seeing the life or business that you want, start looking at those childhood thoughts that are controlling your actions on autopilot. 

Now you know! But what are you going to DO about it? ♡