So, I've been on a "motivation" kick lately, I guess. This wasn't something that was planned...it just sort of happened. It seems like this would be a good time to move off of this topic of motivation and onto the next logical step, in my mind, of a complete health journey. Can you guess what that step is?

Consistency.

Look, you can be inspired by my words and they can even motivate you to get on your treadmill or go do your workout. That is INCREDIBLE to me...that something I say when I'm just talking about my own regular everyday stuff could actually move someone (or more than one person) to DO something. Believe me...I do fully grasp how amazing and powerful that is.

Still, that's one workout. What about the rest of your life? What if my motivating blogs suddenly stopped? Would you be able to carry yourself on and do it for YOU?

I came across this cartoon several years ago...WAY before SparkPeople. I have never been able to stop thinking about it. Yeah, it's funny. But, when you really think about it...it's not funny. It's spot on.



Have you seen Jamie Oliver's show, "Food Revolution"? This man opened my eyes wider than they've ever been opened to what I was doing to my body by feeding it junk and only moving to get from my house to my desk at work, where I'd sit all day long.

I have a lot of motivators on SparkPeople. And, yes, a couple of them really were instrumental in getting me going in this particular phase of my journey. I acknowledge that I wouldn't have done it and I wouldn't have stuck to it in the beginning if I wouldn't have had them on my mind the ENTIRE first month or so.

But, at some point, I had to "leave the nest" and figure out my own stuff. A trainer is great, but he can't be here with me every single day and he can't call or text me every time I'm supposed to do a workout. And he won't always be there to post an uber-inspiring blog, which will motivate me enough to keep going.

Simply put, it clicked in my brain that I have limited time on this earth and I was wasting it being unhealthy. And, well, I don't want to let unhealthy habits slowly (or quickly) kill me and leave that legacy for my children.

I wake up ridiculously early 6 days week (yes, even Saturday). I feed my soul with some quiet time in my Bible and with my God. I feed my body with a morning run or cross-training. I feed my stomach with a healthy breakfast.

I don't LIKE to wake up at 5:30am. It's HARD for me to get out of bed. I usually DON'T WANT to exercise.

But I don't NEED a partner to force me to do it. I don't HAVE TO have perfect conditions (sunny weather, etc). I DON'T MAKE EXCUSES. I just DO what I HAVE to DO. And I do it over and over and over and over again.

And...now you know my secret. It's yours now. What are you going to do with it?

"If a man has any greatness in him, it comes to light, not in one flamboyant hour, but in the ledger of his daily work." -Beryl Markham