Starting My Day Right

“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” – Henry David Thoreau

This sounds simplistic, but I believe that it is true.  Seven or eight years ago, I woke up every morning one hour before I had to and biked for sixty minutes before getting ready for work.  I know I didn’t always love getting up early, but I definitely loved knowing I started my day off right.

Since moving my step goal on my Fitbit up to 15,000 steps a day, I have often spent my evenings playing catch up on my steps.  It’s a race between steps and bedtime, and I don’t love it.

I decided to try going back to getting up an extra hour early, and today I did.  I did 30 minutes on my treadmill before getting ready for work, which then also allowed time for breakfast and to play with my dogs before I had to leave. 

As always, I arrived to work early and went for a little stroll before clocking in (the mornings are too beautiful not to enjoy them!), and by the time I got to my desk for work, I had over 6,000 steps. 

Not only this, but I feel amazing.  I feel more energetic than I usually do when I sleep for that hour.  I feel full of life! 

I was also encouraged and motivated by the results of last week’s wellness screening.  I have improved in every single area, and in some cases, my blood results are textbook perfect.  And I know because I have been doing this for so many years, that this improvement is a result of my hard work.  If I don’t put in the effort then it definitely shows.  These thoughts were in my mind as I hit start on the treadmill this morning at 5:15am, that the extra steps, the calorie counting, the effort to get good sleep and drink more water and eat more vegetables are making a positive impact.

So, today will pass and I will feel good and energized and be happy in the knowledge that I have done good things for myself.  It’s not just an investment in myself and how I look and feel, but an investment in every relationship I have and everyone who loves me and depends on me. 

They deserve it.