A fit slant on gratitude

Here’s the scene:

Alarm clock blares at 5:09am.
I roll over and smash the ‘snooze’ button as fast as I can. 
I lay there and think: “man, I am *so* exhausted.”
Scott snuggled up and got a little too cozy for my liking…making me want to drift right back to sleep.
But then I thought about just how close my little gym is to me: it’s literally a staircase away. 
I promptly got up, threw on my shorts, sports bra, tank and sneakers and was ready to go. 

#makeitcount 
#accountability

But what this morning’s workout *really* taught me?

To be grateful for the sheer fact that I literally have my workouts right at my fingertips. 
…not only do I have no excuse to skip that workout, but I am downright lucky to have such a luxury: a home gym complete with weights and a pull-up bar for Scott and a treadmill and TV for me. I fully realize that this is a luxury not to be taken for granted but sometimes, in the heat of the moment, in the height of a chaotic and busy but awesome week, I forget.

But not today. Today I am grateful. For a little thing like a treadmill and an episode of “Burn Notice” on-demand to keep me company for 5 (wicked sweaty) miles.

Now that I no longer work from home and have a commute to face most days, I have to work much harder to strike the right balance. Between teaching a lot more, a new work schedule that requires I manage my time better to get into the office when I need to and leave when I need to (most often to teach);  my ‘me’ workouts are fewer and farther between, something I’ve mentioned before. My run-time is sacred to me (as is the time I get to actually take a barre n9ne class here and there), albeit shorter, and now on the treadmill most days (‘cept for the weekends) — but I wouldn’t even have the luxury of run-time if I didn’t have that treadmill at home. I’m not a fan of running alone in the dark in the wee hours of the morning so running on the treadmill is where it’s at during the week. So I’ve learned to not only befriend the treadmill but to look forward to that me-time, that me-workout, and the luxury of doing it in my own home? A total blessing. 

So today I’m taking a moment to put a fit slant on gratitude.

It might sound like a miniscule thing to be grateful for but for someone who works hard to stay fit and LOVES working out, it means the world to me. (and trust me, there are loads more that I’m grateful for every single day beyond working out, I can promise you that!). Plus, I have so many loved ones in my life who simply do not have the luxury of a workout at their fingertips or the ability to fit one in whenever they want to, so I try very hard never to take for granted my schedule, my workouts, my time. It’s an invaluable thing — time — and I try to cherish it as much as I can.

And now I ask you: What are *you* grateful for today?