Last year, while walking around Lululemon (R.I.P. downtown Evanston Lululemon), I noticed, amidst the too-tight yoga pants and obnoxiously priced $12 headbands, a water bottle that spoke to me. We connected on such a deep level that it was as if I was Harry Potter and the water bottle was spouting out Parseltongue. The phrase on the bottle read, “I like running because I really, really, really, really, really, really like dessert.” Nothing truer has ever been written on a stainless steel water bottle produced by a yoga apparel company.
I love to hate running, but I love to love chocolate. This water bottle simply got me.
My love/hate relationship with running began the minute I realized I was not good enough at any sport to consistently have the opportunity to play. I quickly ruled out all permutations of yoga and Zumba because I do not have full control over all of my gangly limbs at all times. That pretty much left running, and so began my saga of simultaneously enjoying the idea of being a runner with my inherent dislike for the activity.
One aspect of running I find particularly daunting is the task of actually making it to a treadmill. The fact that I must go outside into the increasingly unforgiving Evanston weather to journey to an un-air-conditioned, smelly gym does not make me want to go for a run. However, in order to reconcile the fact that I had Andy’s custard three times within five days, I made the decision that I would go to Blomquist before my 9 a.m. class Monday. I turned to Pinterest for some motivation to get me out of bed early.
The pin I settled on had six seemingly simple steps toward achieving my goal. Most of these tips weren’t exactly news flashes to me: I knew that going to bed early and setting out my outfit in advance would make it easier to get up. The fact that I made the commitment to follow all of these tips, however, proved to be a determining factor in my workout success.
When my alarm went off at 6:40 a.m., I groaned audibly and turned over. Then I got up, grumbled a half-hearted apology to my roommate, whom I forced to go on this journey too and got ready for the gym.
The tips to “Put Your Alarm in the Next Room” and “Make it a Date” ultimately helped motivate me to complete the difficult task of getting out of bed. Instead of simply stretching my arm out to turn off the alarm, getting up forced me into some level of cognition. Plus, I felt accountable to my roommate because she woke up too, and it would have been unfair if I didn’t live up to my end of the deal.
Once we got out the door, the rest was relatively simple. I found the workout helped me stay more focused throughout the day. It felt great to accomplish something before class, and I definitely attribute my success in this venture to the tips I picked up on Pinterest.
