New Hustle

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” – Ben Franklin

As a continuation of yesterday’s post, Morning Domination, I thought I’d list seven of the most effective, common sense proof ways to get yourself up early.

Like any new habit, it takes time for your body and mind to adjust to getting up earlier.  Takes a little perseverance and a lot of determination, but you’ll reap the rewards.  The reality of it boils down to this:  you’re gaining extra time consciously living instead of unconsciously sleeping (as comfortable as that may sound) – given that we are all on the clock, so to say, I want to get the most out of life that I can.

Waking up one hour earlier than normal means 7 extra hours per week – 28 extra hours per month of conscious, beautiful, productive living.  In a world where I just don’t have the time is an all to frequent excuse – waking up earlier creates time that otherwise would have been lost.

Enough rambling – on to the good stuff.

1.  Don’t think just do
Don’t trust yourself in the morning. We’re in, what Steve Pavlina refers to, a “morning fog”. What’s the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning? Probably your mind trying it’s hardest to convince your body that it truly has GREAT reasons for wanting to stay in bed. “I slept so late last night, I’ve got such a busy day … I deserve an extra hour of sleep, etc. etc. etc.”  Instead, don’t think about it. As soon as the alarm goes off – rise up and go about your day. Quell the thoughts and it’ll be that much easier. Source: howtowakeupearly.com

2. Early to bed early to rise
This is a catch-22 because until you force yourself out of your regular sleep habits – you may not be tired early enough to get an adequate amount of sleep. However, I can attest to the fact that if you force yourself to wake up early, after a few days – I guarantee you that your body will want to sleep earlier at days end.  Strictly logic.

3.  Just say no to stimulants (after 12:00pm)
Coffee, alcohol and tobacco have all been proven to be the antithesis of a good nights sleep.  Various sources claim that caffeine stays in your system roughly six hours.  The general rule of thumb is avoid these types of stimulants after 12:00pm – that way by bed time there are no artificial chemicals that keep you up, or disrupt your quality of sleep – which brings us to point number four.

4.  Quality, not quantity
Everybody works a little bit differently.  Lately, I’ve been operating just fine on roughly 6-7 hours of sleep per night.  Some people swear by 8 hours, and yet some offer that 5-6 hours is adequate enough to keep us on our toes.   What’s more important than the quantity of sleep is the quality of sleep your body is getting.  During its replenishing stages, the body provides optimum regeneration with the television off, a comfortable temperature and a dark room.  Even though you’re asleep, if there’s noise or light your mind takes note of that – it’s been proven.  In fact, turn off the TV and/or computer 30 minutes before you’re going to go asleep for optimum rest.

5.  Snoozing is evil
I really don’t understand the snooze button.  Why even put in on alarm clocks?  It’s evil!  Really, what is five extra minutes of sleep going to do AFTER I’m already awake but make me more tired, more grouchy and more likely to set the alarm for a later time.  Just don’t.

6.  Put your alarm in another room
Simple but common sensible advise from zenhabits.net.  If it’s right next to your bed, it’s that much easier to hit the evil snooze button – and that much easier to fall right back asleep.  Force yourself up on your feet and you’re more likely to stay that way.

7.  If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again
Like I stated in the Morning Domination post – if you fail – don’t count yourself a failure.  So what, you didn’t get up this morning – don’t kick yourself or give up hope on developing the habit.  It takes persistence, tenacity and a determination to dominate your day instead of the other way around to adjust your body to getting up earlier.  Experts all say it takes roughly 3 weeks, or 21 days to ingrain a new habit.  On your successful days, make note of it on your calendar – that way you have visual inspiration of your success and you’re more likely to try to continue the next day.

Waking up early is truly its own reward.   Jump start you day.  Empower yourself with confidence and swagger. Determine that today is going to be another fulfilling, productive and amazing experience – and it will be. Keep on hustling.

My mornings usually go something like this (mentally): ‘Alarm? Need more sleep … oh yeah, it’s Monday … work … bills … so much to do today …. work … bills … [insert errands here] … coffee please?’

Most of us then proceed to go through our routine until we’re somewhat coherent enough to feel the weight of reality set in on our shoulders after our peaceful slumber.

From this point on, we’re either dreading the day before us or anticipating the day ahead … it’s all about perspective. Our minds are conditioned to view each day as a potential disaster, or a masterpiece to be created – it all depends on how well we’ve reigned in our ability to control our thoughts. To dominate our mornings, we have to be in control – or the day will dominate us.

What the experts say

But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high correlation between success and rising early, even in my own life. On those rare occasions where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity was almost always higher, not just in the morning but all throughout the day. ~Steve Pavlina

Not everyone is an early riser, and in my attempts to do so I’ve been met with sub-par success so far – but I’m still trying. Nonetheless, I always try to make sure I get in a good workout before my workday – and if I don’t I still feel the drag of sleep long in to the morning.

Robin Sharma promotes the idea of giving ourselves a ‘holy-hour’ in the morning. Waking up an hour earlier than we’re accustomed to to devote time to the self – this makes sense, it’s just hard to get our bodies (and minds) accustomed to doing.

During my Holy Hour, I journal, I read inspirational books, I review my goals and plans and I simply make the time to think. Because clarity precedes mastery and the more clear you can get on what you want to create in life, the more focused you will be in your daily behaviors. Every day can be a platform to get you closer to your mountaintop. And yet, too many people live life by accident. ~Robin Sharma

I can attest to this, when I’m successful at doing so. The hard part is convincing myself while I lay in my comfortable bed that I would benefit from waking up at 5:00am. I used to get discouraged when I didn’t – but that just sets ourselves up for a discouraging day, which brings me to my next point.

What matters most
Whether a morning person or not, the most important thing to do when we first wake up is to start thinking positively. Difficult as it may be, it is possible. It’s all about our attitude towards the day ahead.

Simply put – would you rather own your day, or let your day own you? Would you rather let life have it’s way, or create the life you want to live?  Or as Robin Sharma puts it – don’t live your life by accident.

At this realization things became more clear to me – if I want to get where I want to go I need to ensure that the start of my day is nothing more than extraordinary – even if I feel like I’m lying to myself to get to there.

My perfect morning (Monday through Friday)
Ideally, in the present, this is how my perfect morning would go:
5:00am: Up at the first alarm, eat something (snoozing is evil, what good is 5 extra minutes really?)
5:00-5:30: Cardio workout (the best way to awaken my senses is to work them)
5:30-6:30: ‘Holy-hour’ – day planning, reading, reflecting, etc.
6:30-7:00: Personal Training w/clients
7:00-7:30: Weight training for myself
8:00: Enter my 8-5 grind with the satisfaction of morning domination.

Of course it doesn’t go like this every day, but I’ll keep trying until it does. As stated previously, if you beat yourself up for not waking up or doing the things you wanted to do, you’re setting the tone for the rest of your day. As hard as you can, think positively – envision the great day ahead and be grateful that you’re still breathing – that you can still experience life to the fullest.

I’m a work in progress, we all are. Slowly but surely I’ll dominate each and every morning – setting myself up for content, productive and fulfilling days – and as each day goes on like this I’m one day closer to my ideal life:

Big idea: Your days are your life in miniature. As you live your days, so you craft your life. What you do today is actually creating your future. The words you speak, the thoughts you think, the food you eat and the actions you take are defining your destiny – shaping who you are becoming and what your life will stand for. There’s no such thing as an unimportant day. ~Robin Sharma

Having just gotten over a nasty bug, and with flu season upon us, I thought it would be appropriate to post on 5 of the most important things to do while we’re sick to help our bodies fight disease.

Our bodies are our temples. What good is it to accomplish our goals if we don’t have the health to enjoy it?

Human bodies are amazing things. Just sitting here trying to fathom the internal war that goes on between our immune system and the bacteria and viruses that invade us on a daily basis makes me dizzy.

Often times when we get sick we try to push through it – which certainly has its place and time (if absolutely called for) – but sometimes they body forcefully reminds the mind that it can only be pushed so far.

Having a few days to recuperate myself, I thought my first post back should be 5 of the most important things we should be doing while we are sick – from the common cold to severe influenza – are you doing all you can to assist your body in its mission to bring you back to optimum health (just saw Transformers 2, forgive the special ops talk)?

1. Drink, drink and drink some more

Our bodies are 70% water. Studies recommend drinking enough to turn your urine clear – that’s how you know you’re hydrated. A well hydrated body helps to maintain body temperature and makes sure the kidney and liver are operating at their best. More importantly, it assists in ridding the body of toxins and wastes that need to get flushed out while combating an illness.

2. Rest when your body needs it

Sometimes the only thing we can do to truly get over a lingering cold or illness is to simply give your body rest. It wasn’t until I shut my body down and slept a good two days (on and off) that I was able to start feeling better. Sleep promotes regeneration. Many of your bodily functions move at a much slower rate (metabolism and energy burns at a minimum) allowing for maximum internal recuperation and reparation.

3. Keep your body warm

Nothing worse than cold chills and hot flashes, but the best advice is to keep the body adequately warm. While the cold air conditioner might feel great, the body recovers best at a comfortably warm temperature. Cold temperatures can actually compromise the immune system.

4. Eat the right foods/get your vitamin C

Incorporate these two together because many healthy foods have healthy doses of vitamin C. Some recommend vitamin C supplements to assist the immune system as much as possible. Think of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grain. By all means avoid alcohol and sugar, as these only serve to weaken the immune system.

5. Incorporate the mind

If studies have shown that positive thinking and the visualization of ‘destroying’ cancer cells in the body literally assist in helping people recover from the disease – why would we not use this against the common cold? Skeptic? Read about Sue Northey, who recovered from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – here’s what she had to say about visualization:

Nothing is more frustrating than working diligently at something and not getting the results you were expecting. Part of the new hustle philosophy is striving for daily improvement to reach world class levels in every aspect of our lives.

As a Certified Personal Trainer with a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science, the #1 complaint I hear from people is – “I’ve changed my lifestyle, I’m working out and eating healthier – why am I not losing weight?”

Everyone is different. Though we all metabolize fat and have the capacity to lose weight – it’s a lot easier for some than others. You have to take in to account your genetics, your lifestyle and the intensity of your workouts.  Certain medical conditions can also contribute to this problem, which I’ll touch on later in this post. If you enjoy this post you may also be interested in the 10 best reasons why you should exercise as well.

Enough rambling, here are 11 of the most common reasons you aren’t shedding the extra baggage:

1. You’re not working out hard enough
The #1 reason that people aren’t losing weight that they aren’t pushing themselves hard enough during their workouts. This applies to beginners as well as those that have been at it for a while and have hit a plateau. If you’re taking it easy and not pushing yourself beyond your comfort levels in any workout, you’re going to see proportionate results – minimal and mediocre.

2. Your body is getting used to the same routine
A vital piece of information to those stuck in a weight lose plateau. If you’re doing the same thing day after day, your body adjusts to the exertion and type of exercise that you are implementing. You won’t lose weight as quickly and your body responds slower than if you were to mix up your routines. Try some kickboxing; take a spinning class – whatever it takes to switch it up.

3. You’re eating too much
This seems like a no brainer, but it’s also the one that people struggle with the most. If you’ve taken the steps to begin exercising – you must also change your dietary habits in order to increase the speed at which you see results. There are 500 different diets and philosophies out there about what you should be eating – but I like to break it down simply: if you’re taking in more calories than you burn on a daily basis – you’re going to gain weight. Same thing vice-versa. Remember that before you order those french fries.

4. You don’t include strength training in your workouts
This is a key point to consider: if you’re not including resistance training in your workout routine you’re missing out on a number of benefits. Keep up the cardio: but 2-3 days out of the week try to squeeze in 3-4 exercises incorporating resistance training. You can even do circuit training to reap the cardio benefits and the resistance training benefits. The reasons are too numerous to list – but it boils down to this: the more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn resting, exercising and sleeping. How? Muscles need energy, so the more you have – the more energy they need – even while doing nothing. Your body becomes a fat burning machine when you start incorporating strength training – which is why it is a necessity.

5. You’re not getting enough sleep
Studies have shown that people who sleep at least 7 hours a night are less likely to gain weight than people who sleep 5 hours a night. Why? Lack of sleep can affect normal secretion of the cortisol hormone – which regulates your appetite. Additionally, sleeping less makes you cranky, depressed and not very motivated to go out and get in a workout. It also increases your stress levels, which is our next reason. So get your Z’s.

6. You’re too stressed out
You may be pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone, sleeping great and eating healthy – and STILL not losing weight. Just like lack of sleep, this causes a disturbance in your cortisol levels (which has also been shown to promote storage of body fat in the abdominal region). It is vital to schedule relaxation time for yourself, especially during stressful times – ‘don’t forget to smell the roses’ as they say (more on this in another post).

7. You’re not consistent with your workouts or diet
Consistency is key. Exercising and healthy eating must become a daily habit in order to see the most efficient results in your physical self. Just like everything else, you get back what you give. Stay committed, stay true – workout on those days you don’t feel like it – and the results you desire will soon follow.

8. You think the pills and machines they sell on TV really work
People, please hear me out here if you hear me on nothing else. If there was a magic pill or exercise machine sold on a TV infomercial that truly works – not only would the entire world be using it – but obesity would not be a leading cause of preventable death. They simply don’t work – and a lot of pills contain dangerous ingredients not approved by the FDA. Don’t believe the commercials, don’t believe the hype – all you need is a determined individual and a lot of perspiration.

9. You’re expecting results faster than your body can deliver
Like I stated in the preface of this post – every body is different. Some people have insanely high metabolisms that allow them to eat whatever they want, and others really have to watch what goes down the hatch. Experts recommend you don’t lose more than 1-2 lbs. per week to maintain optimum health. So don’t worry if you haven’t lost 10 lbs after a month of exercising – just keep it up and know that the results will come. For some it may be weeks, for some it may be months – just don’t stop!

10. You may have a medical condition
While extremely rare, some people have a medical condition that may prevent them from losing weight normally. If you have indisputably been following a workout routine and diet and are still not losing weight – see your doctor. Conditions such as thyroid disease can cause a decrease in metabolism leading to weight gain. Additionally, some prescription medications also have a weight gain affect on people.

11. You’ve hit a plateau
I’ve mentioned this in earlier points, but thought it would be important to key it as a category itself. I’ve experienced this on numerous occasions. You’re working out consistently, have been seeing the results you want – but all of a sudden can’t drop another pound or develop any new muscle no matter how hard you work. The key to remember here again is variety – switch up your routine – shock your body. Go swimming for the week instead of running the treadmil. Additionally, don’t be scared to have a “cheat day” (no more than once a week maximum), where you eat all the bad stuff you’ve been avoiding – just don’t go overboard. This will temporarily spike your metabolism levels to assist in increased fat consumption throughout the week.

The most important thing to remember about losing weight is that it is a long, hard road to travel. You must maintain swagger, determination and always keep in mind that every day you workout is one day closer to achieving the body image of your dreams.

Recently came across a statistic that up to 55% of all communication is non-verbal (G Note: Thanks to commenter Marjan of simplybodylanguage.com for the correction).  Wow. In this digital age – the art of mastering non-verbal communication must be practiced as we’re increasingly not having to broadcast our emotions face to face.

Currently reading What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People – very interesting read. The title should also mention that the Ex-FBI Agent was an immigrant from Cuba (immigrated at 8 years old) – and did not speak any English. So to adjust to his classmates, he learned to be aware of body language at a very young age.

“In my young mind, I saw the human body as a kind of billboard that transmitted (advertised) what a person was thinking via gestures, facial expressions, and physical movements that I could read.” ~Joe Navarro

Social media is, in one sense, bringing us closer together – but it also promotes communication without any kind of physical interaction.  While the business world is catching up with the digital times, there will never, and I repeat never, be any social medium to take the place of face to face meetings (video-conferencing not included – but even those aren’t the same).

So how do we make sure we’re developing our non-verbal communication skills just as much as we are our twitter following or facebook friends?

Through scouring the Internet and via my free ebook collection of wisdom, I’ve compiled the following 10 simple & effective ways to improve our body language:

1.  Be a movie star

Gotta be aware of your body language first.  Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing – one of the best ways I’ve found to be aware of my body language (as well as my thought patterns)  - is to imagine that I’m being filmed in a blockbuster movie and watching myself.  See yourself from a bird’s eye view, and think about what message the character (you) is portraying through his or her body language.  If it’s not what you’d like it to be, fix it – think about what you would like to be portraying and do that.  Now repeat, and practice daily to improve.

2.  It’s all in the eyes

It has been said that the eyes are the windows to our soul.  Mr. Navarro attests that it is almost impossible to hide our emotions through our eyes (as opposed to other muscles involved in facial expressions).  Therefore, eye-contact remains one of the telling signs of a person’s level of confidence and self-worth. Maintain eye-contact with people that engage you – but don’t stare too long (kinda creepy).  Read the other person’s comfort level with you to distinguish if you’re coming on too strong – or lacking enough confidence to make yourself interesting.

3.  Say cheese

Smiling is one of the easiest ways to make other people feel more comfortable around us (nervous smiling not included).  The more you smile and laugh in conversation the more at ease others will feel around you – but you must be genuine.  An authentic smile involve ’smiles that “crest” or change rapidly from a small facial movement to a broad open expression’ according to Navarro.

4.  Posture up

Anybody with any sense of swagger has a certain walk to them, sometimes taken as too conceited.  We should challenge that notion – everyone should walk with too much confidence (without, of course, actually being a narcissist).  Hating on people for being too confident in their walk is like telling someone you have no right to feel good about yourself.  So walk with some swagger – more than you think you should.  You’d be surprised at how much better it makes you feel.  Shoulders back, back straight – but relaxed.  People want to be around other people (and do business with people) that exude confidence.  Slouching shoulders and a timid walk (often a result of too much computer time and not enough physical socializing) need to be adjusted.

Dr. P is a guest blogger on TheNewHustle.net. As a preface to the variety of fitness related posts to come – he has written this great post on managing common exercise injuries for us. He is a physician and an accomplished athlete (currently competing in triathlons) with a great deal of personal and professional experience in sports health and nutrition, as well as injury prevention and treatment. He has persevered through a variety of sports-related injuries, including a broken hand, wrist, and ankle, two shoulder surgeries, chronic shin splints, and bouts of plantar fasciitis and ITB syndrome. But most importantly: he’s my brother.

Nothing will kill your motivation and determination to exercise faster than an injury! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen someone get fired up and excited about getting in shape, only to fall into despair and frustration because of an injury.

Some people most susceptible to injuries are those that start with sedentary lifestyles, or those “getting back into it” after a long hiatus.

We are remarkable creatures, capable of pushing ourselves to extraordinary levels when motivated. But this can work against us! We often end up doing too much, pushing ourselves beyond our limits.

If you’ve ever tweaked a joint weight lifting, or started getting nagging knee pain 2 weeks into your new jogging routine, you’ve been there. Injuries usually come in two flavors, acute and chronic. Acute injuries are usually associated with improper technique, inadequate warm-up, or pushing yourself beyond your limits. Chronic injuries, sneak up on you slowly, but arrive at just the precise moment your initial motivation to workout may start to wane.

Today I’ll discuss chronic overuse injuries and how to prevent them. Shin splints, patellar tendonitis, ITB syndrome, plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis, heel spurs… sound familiar? Here are 5 tips to avoid overuse injuries!

1) Easy does it! New workout fervor MUST be focused. Your 2nd thought after “I’m going to get in shape!” should be the mantra “I’m NOT going to get injured doing it!” You need to repeat this mantra over and over again during your first workouts. Any new workout regimen, be it weight-lifting, jogging, or pickup basketball, should be smartly planned out and phased in over the course of 2-3 weeks, gradually increasing intensity and frequency. No single workout should be a maximum or prolonged effort. Plan for a 2-3 month buildup to the intensity level you would like to end up with.

2) Don’t underestimate the negative, destructive force of pain. It’s hard enough to get yourself out the door or to the gym some days. Even a hint of pain is enough to snuff out what remnant of fire you have left to workout. This constant respect for pain repeats the mantra from #1.

3) Crosstrain. You might always get shin splints if you run over 20 miles a week. If you’re a bit overweight, you might always get that knee tweak or plantar foot pain when your run or play ball. Try different sports and activities. Check out some of the newer cross training or muscle confusion workouts. This will give you the variety you need to help stave off workout boredom and reduce the chance of getting an overuse injury.

4) Learn your pain. There’s healthy pain, and injury pain. Learn to know the difference in your body. The only thing I hate more than seeing people stop working out due to injury, is when quit when they *think* they have an injury. Muscle soreness, fatigue, and joint pain are not always harbingers of injury. In fact, to dramatically increase your fitness level, some level of discomfort is unavoidable. See your physician if you are unsure if the pain you are experiencing is healthy or destructive.

5) Know your body, know your limits. We have a remarkable ability to forget the painful past. Injuries of old easily become recurrent nightmares. And the sobering fact is that our bodies will place physical limits on the goals we can achieve. Learn to accept your physical limitations and discover new activities to get work around them.

I should have posted this before my first post about the 99 Excuses and Exercise Ain’t 1 series. Discovering our best selves means treating our weight and body just like we do our daily hustle – what’s the point in achieving greatness if we can’t enjoy it because of health issues? You can’t be at your best without being in great physical shape – and we know this – that’s why 95-97 percent of all people all admit that they’d like to loose some weight (source: Success magazine).

99 Excuses & Exercise Ain’t 1 is an ongoing series of posts, which by the end of the 99 excuses, should uncover the reasons behind pretty much any excuse we tell ourselves to avoid reaching for our best physical self.

I did some research and compiled the 10 best reasons (in no particular order) to quit with the excuses and get to it. Read and take action – really – get out of that chair and do something. Even 10-15 minutes of exercise gives you the following 10 added benefits – start small, dream big.

1. Increased Energy Level
Getting to our best self requires energy expenditure of the mind and body.  Studies show exercise promotes increased energy levels throughout the day – so you’re still going strong when everyone else wants to give up.

2.  More Brain Cells
It’s true!  Exercise delivers more oxygen to the brain – promoting clearer thoughts and more creativity.  Trying new exercises (hiking, swimming, dancing, etc.) also stimulates the creation of new neural pathways.  Keep growing.

3.  Take It Down a Notch: Stress Levels
This is my number one reason for exercising daily. Nothing, I repeat, nothing feels better than working out when I’m stressed. Nothing.

4.  Get Better Sleep
Exercise requires energy – so you’re tired at night like you’re supposed to be. Sleep is underrated and overrated all at the same time (more on this is another post) – listen to your body. But one thing is for sure, exercise leads to more replenishing, restful nights of sleep.

5.  Increased Swagger
One look at someone with a nice fit body and you already know – they’ve got their swagger on. Confidence is huge in life – without it, you’re not tapping the unlimited potential that lies within each of us.  Exercise to feel better about your body – about yourself.

6.  Fight Back: Strengthen The Immune System
The chemical and biological war that goes on in our body completely astonishes me (I did learn something in Anatomy & Physiology).  Exercising is proven to strengthen your immune system to fight back against all forms of foreign invaders looking to make you feel like crap.

7.  Increased Muscle Tone and Weight Control
Do I even really need to expand on this?  Remember this formula: increased muscle mass (via exercise) equals faster metabolism (burn more fat daily) AND more toneage.  And who doesn’t want more muscle tone?

8.  Reduce Your Risk of a Heart Attack/Stroke
Another scientifically proven fact – decreased cholesterol and blood pressure levels.  Most in my generation aren’t too worried about this – but the earlier you start the better.  The healthier you are and more you exercise the less chance you have of experiencing these life threatening conditions.  Happy body = happy heart.

9.  The Best Anti-Depressant Around
While this could fall under the stress category – it’s important to emphasize given the wide-spread use and acceptance of anti-depressants these days.  Exercise promotes mental health and releases ‘feel-good’ endorphins – the au-natural way.  As I stated before – nothing – feels better than exercising when I’m stressed out – or down and out.

10.  Live Longer!
Master of the obvious, I know.  But people need to be reminded of the most important premise of exercising – to lengthen the quality and quantity of our days.  As far as we know, we all only have one chance to make the most of every day we wake up alive.  Be grateful for it – today will never come around again.  So exercise – make the most of your days to make the most of your life.

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This a post from the 99 Excuses & Exercise Ain’t One series. Here are the most common excuses given to avoid exercising and how to help you overcome them. G has a Bachelors of Science in Exercise Science and has been a Certified Personal Trainer (part time hustle) for 3 years. If these posts help you in any way, please share, and consider subscribing to my RSS feed to get automatic updates delivered to your favorite RSS reader or email inbox. Follow me on Twitter @thenewhustle.

Excuse #1: I can’t wait to start exercising … tomorrow.

I’ve been guilty of this before – who hasn’t? Exercise is one of those things that a lot of people don’t look forward to.  I firmly believe we all know when we’re making excuses – we just don’t recognize it because we’re great at convincing ourselves we’re right.

Excuses are delusions we make up in our mind to ensure we stay in our comfort zone (can thank Robin Sharma for that one).  It’s true – think of any time you made an excuse about exercise – was it really good enough to take away from your potential physical improvement for the day?

On auto-pilot, we’re very comfortable wherever we’re at.  Sure, we might wish we had a healthier lifestyle or a nicer body, but the truth is we love our comfort zone better.  And stepping out of that requires effort.  For some people this is hard – especially if regular exercise has not been a habit instilled in them from a young age.

I challenge you to look past your excuse for not exercising today and ask yourself, why am I holding myself back?  Take 10 minutes and go for a walk – just start! You’ve got to attack exercise like you attack your day – be the circumstance that changes your health for the better instead of being controlled by the fear of the discomfort this change will bring. Getting in shape is not easy. A lot of work and dedication – but oh-so worth the pain. Like the Chinese proverb states:

“The best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago, the second best time is now.”

Don’t postpone your best self any longer – take the steps necessary today to improving your health.  In order to hustle harder, you’ve got to be in the best shape of your life.

“Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” ~John F. Kennedy