That's Fit

I ran really far on Sunday, and when the time came to go to the gym with my husband on Monday, I thought I'd be too beat to perform. I literally was contemplating stretching for an hour as I walked through the front doors. But then! Then I saw something beautiful to my left. Over the dozens of cardio machines to my side, I saw Tom Cruise plopped down on the couch with Oprah and was drawn over to the treadmills.

Curiosity got my goat, and up I climbed on to the machine before me. Now strangely enough, because of a back injury, walking hurts more than running. So with emotional bricks in my shoes I cranked up the speed to six miles per hour and got going. I swear to you that before I turned that darn machine on, I would have never imagined my legs would take me half a mile. Apparently I was wrong.

Turns out that even though I felt sluggish and was full of doubt, I was capable of running for an hour straight! Isn't that insane? I think so. Listen. I've been in this business a long time, and have made a living out of proving to people that they could do the things they thought they couldn't! Feeling slow, tired, and unmotivated is not unusual. What is unusual, though, is finding the inspiration to yank out your personal best, even under those circumstances.

Gallery: Surprise Yourself at the Gym!

Look. Neither Tom Cruise nor Oprah inspired me to greater fitness yesterday. What did happen though, is that I put myself in a physical place where I could accomplish something fantastic. I could have loafed in bed, sat on the couch, or roamed the mall. But I didn't! I got my fanny up, got dressed, and dragged my butt to the gym. That's the key to physical success. Put yourself in a position to exercise. Even if I would have just stretched for an hour, I would have left better than I was when I arrived.

So here's the surprise. I had a killer workout two days in a row, and today I feel incredible. Not tired, not sore. I didn't run today, but I lifted about a million pounds in the weight room. After almost twenty years in the fitness industry, I'm still surprising myself. It's time for you to go do the same.