I joined the Early Morning Workout Club.

No. 52 What, like it's hard?

Not to be too dramatic, but humor me, will you? Shortly after our anniversary, on August 2 to be exact, I decided enough was enough and I was going to journey into the unknown: the extra-early, pre-work workout world. I was nervous, anxious, and pretty sure the success of my plan was fairly low. Why?

As much as I take pride in being a “morning person,” I never associated that same up-early-on-purpose mindset with exercise (morning workouts, until now, usually began at 8AM or 9AM, “early enough”). I love the morning because it’s quiet, calm, and not yet flowing with the day’s energy. Essentially, the beginning of the day is my favorite because it’s peaceful. So why would I ruin that serenity with exercise? Because I had to. And it has changed my life.

I am now waking up at 5:03AM (I couldn’t quite set the alarm for 5:00AM) and hopping out of bed, changing, washing my face, and getting on the Peloton. My new weekday routine is a 20-minute ride and a 10-minute strength class which still allows time to shower, get dressed, eat something, and be out the door by 7AM. I know. That sounds intense. It is. But much to my surprise, I love it and this new routine has me thriving for the first time in a while.

I look forward to my early morning workout because it wakes me up and allows peace of mind for the rest of the day. My daily workout provides physical strength, mental strength, and establishing an inner calm that is essential in a work world that’s full of surprises and long hours. Little did I know that by flipping my workout to be the first task of the day, rather than the last, that I would feel better, stronger, and more capable in every aspect of my life.

I know - so dramatic! How can a 5:03AM workout make that much of a difference? Trust me. It has made a world of difference in my daily routine, and mental health, and that’s all I need to hopefully encourage others to try something that to them may seem impossible. I never thought the super-early workouts were for me. Surprise, surprise, it has been the best change. And I hate change. ;)

I kept saying to myself, “what’s the worst that could happen?” I couldn’t even figure out what that ‘worst’ could be so then all of my excuses seemed to disappear. I just had to give it a try. Turns out that when you try something that makes you nervous, but you know could be great, there’s a strong chance it will turn out to be as great as you had hoped. Those nerves were telling the truth: this is a good plan. You will succeed.

Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

Nothing has made me more motivated lately than watching the Olympics all day every day as well. Those athletes are superb! I’ve really enjoyed the swimming, gymnastics, and the track and field competitions. The skill! The determination! The speed! Unreal. So when I decided to wake up a little extra early to get a workout done before work, the choice almost felt easy in comparison to those Olympians flying around the track at incredible (not impossible) speeds.

They don’t show the hours and years of practice that go into winning those medals, but I have a feeling that many of the Olympic athletes are also members of the Early Morning Workout Club. Thankfully, I’m in good company. :)

On the other end of the activity spectrum, and perhaps a bit of serendipity, the same week my workouts joyfully flipped to 5am, the patio was installed and is now complete! Hooray! It looks so good and I am thrilled that my vision for an outdoor oasis has come to life. We now have our own outdoor living room which is something else that I never thought would be possible. Surprise! Nothing is impossible.

The patio was completed in perfect timing for late-summer: the dahlias are everywhere, the hydrangeas are huge, and the yard is lush with greens. We are also teaching Pepper to look, not touch, the white couch cushions (wish us luck). I am so excited to finally host family and friends at our home, in the summer, in an outdoor space designed to relax and enjoy time with your favorite people. The best! Now, we’ll just need to order some heat lamps and blankets so that it can be enjoyed year-round. :)

The one-week countdown to 39 is on and I’m finally(!) on the excited spectrum of celebrating the year to come. Maybe it’s the switch to the new workout time, maybe it’s the serenity we’ve created in our backyard, or maybe it’s realizing that getting older isn’t bad. We should be grateful we get to live these lives and while 39 still makes me a little wary, I am closing out 38 feeling fabulous. And that is definitely worth a gold medal. No, actually, it’s priceless.

Cheers and joy,

Mollie