TMI? You Decide.

Hi. It's Laura

I must begin with an apology for providing TMI. The content today, at least in the beginning, may be too much. I promise not to linger too long on the embarrassing parts.

I know every home and every person is different. This is why some people choose to wear matching neon caps and sneakers while they run and others like to stick to basic black or blue and not stand out too much.

I started thinking about people's person rituals and habits before they go out to exercise. I went back to pee for the third time before I left the house this morning. As said earlier, you may learn more about me in this blog than you really wanted to know. If that is the case stop reading and wait for Friday's entry.

On the days when I work out in the morning, my routine is pretty much the same: hit the snooze button at least twice. This is a very important piece of my morning. I do not wake well, and at 5:10 when the alarm starts going, the 10 extra minutes of lolling around and trying to get my eyes to open is the key to my day. My eyes are very sensitive in the mornings and they take a little time to open (this is only the case when I wake up with alarm, natural waking does not have the same effect).

Once out of bed, the parade starts: first the black cat, then the white cat, then me, then the dog and we all proceed into the kitchen. The cats beg for food, the dog begs for attention all while I struggle to find the coffee cups because my eyes are just not quite open yet (thankfully they are in the same place every day).

Once the first cup of coffee is poured, I move to the end of the sofa, mutter a good morning to The Husband and figure out how I feel before I start my day. This all takes about 15 minutes.

Do I feel energized? Do I feel sore? Tired? Do I really want to go out and do whatever exercise I have scheduled for myself (99.9% of the time that answer is yes)? On my tired days I try to figure out if I can somehow make the workout shorter (rarely does this happen) or not go at all (even more rare). On my energized days, there is no thought there is just go or must go. And on the sore days, I talk myself into it by reminding myself that the soreness will work itself out once I get going (I know soreness can be a huge factor for a lot of people to call it quits for the day.  If this is you, I promise if you start moving it will feel better).

Now for the second cup of coffee. Technically it is not really a second cup. I usually only get about half way through the first one before It gets cold and it needs to be refreshed. About this time, it's time to move.

I have learned from past experience it best that I lay my clothes out the night before. The weather is a big deal in our house. The Husband and I take turns walking the dog in the mornings. If you are going to spend an hour outdoors, it’s best to know what is going on out there. Not to mention, I prefer running and cycling outdoors. So I do need to know how to dress to be comfortable. There is no sense fumbling around in the morning. If you know you are a procrastinator, you may want to try putting your clothes out the night before. If you don't work out in the morning, and go after work, you may want to pack your gear and put it near the door and grab it when you leave. One less excuse!

My dressing ritual is fairly easy since the clothes are on the dresser along with Vaseline for my feet and Glide for other parts. The trickier part is which hat and which gloves. I have cold gloves and colder gloves also a cold hat and a colder hat not to mention two different baseball style running caps (usually not an option below 40 degrees). FYI, I am a basic black or blue not a neon green.

Now the hard part, leaving. Along time ago, I suffered from serious anxiety about leaving the house and commuting to work. I am sure it was NOT agoraphobia but something like it but more mild because I actually did leave the house every day. I guess some days are just like that. I start thinking about the actual park where I am going to run, the run itself, the hills that I am going to have to climb and the people I will see. So instead of walking out the door, I pee.

I am ready to go again and think “what if I hurt myself?”, “What if I get hit by a car or a bus?”, “What if I have to pee during my run?” so I pee. At this point my mother would say I am silly. I think about how beautiful the sky will be rising over Central Park. I think about how great I will feel when I am finished and how proud I will be of myself for completed my task. So I pee again. And then I leave.

We all have habits and rituals that are important to our success. I am sure some shrink somewhere would call them OCD or some kind of syndrome. These are the mechanisms that help us cope. Whether it is to go to work or out to exercise or even for an evening out with friends. Knowing these things about ourselves aides us in our success if we embrace them and own them.

Know thyself.

Laura