Fit for Life: Things I Won’t Do

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Matt Espeut, Health + Lifestyle Contributor

 

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I have a daily routine and a list of things that I know that I need to do on a daily basis. I have a morning mini - 15-minute exercise routine that I do, just before I consume my first 20 oz. of water. After that, I pour my coffee, drink my powdered greens, do my brain therapy, read, update my daily “to do” list and get ready to start the day.

I also have a list of non-negotiable items that I WON’T DO.

These are things that I have ingrained in my routine and try to make it a priority and NOT do them during the week.

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Here is my list.

 

I don’t binge or eat a lot of junk food during the week.

The exceptions are rare. My birthday, and maybe during the holidays, I slip up and indulge, but as a habit I avoid refined sugar, processed foods, gluten, dairy, and anything else that will throw me off my routine. The weekends are a different story. I eat what I crave, then get right back to business on Monday. I feel that if you stick to your routine 80-90% of the time, you will always be fit and healthy.

 

I avoid alcohol during the week.

I am not much of a drinker anyway, and have maybe 1-2 drinks monthly, but even before COVID when I went to networking events, I would always opt for water. I see people throwing back drinks on a Tuesday and wonder how productive or how much energy they have the next day. When you fight the temptation, you always wake the next morning with a sense of victory, and when you don’t, you will most likely wake with regret, because you will feel like crap the next morning.

 

Never sacrifice my sleep.

I know what time I need to wake up the following morning, and I go to bed 8 hours before. No exceptions.

When we sleep, the magic happens. Our bodies and minds hit the reset button and get rejuvenated, and this is something we should never sacrifice. There is nothing worth missing your sleep over. Most of the time it’s senseless tv or internet time that causes folks to stay up too late, and in my opinion, there isn’t a tv show worth missing sleep over. Especially in the DVR, and on demand days when you can watch what you want when you want to.

 

Hit the snooze button in the morning.

When I set an alarm, it goes in the closet so when it goes off, I need to get out of bed to shut it off. Once I am up, there is no going back to bed for the 9-minute snooze cycle. When you hit the snooze button, several things happen. First, you won’t gain any quality sleep because you will lay there full of anxiety and anticipation, hoping you don’t oversleep, or thinking of the obstacles you need to face during the day. If you were excited about attacking the day, you wouldn’t prolong it. Second, it puts you behind the eight ball. You will hit it 2-3 times, and then need to scramble to get to work on time. This usually results in lack of meal prep and organizing your day.  Third, you start the day with a loss, because you made a commitment to yourself to get up at a certain time, and you broke your promise first thing in the morning. Hit snooze is like having one more drink at the bar, you always regret it and feel bad later. Get up, make your bed, and start the day with a win!!

 

Miss a workout.

Death in the family, COVID, busy day, traveling, it doesn’t matter. Nothing will cause me to miss a workout. I have scheduled days off, but I will never get sidetracked and miss a workout. Injuries, and illness are the only exceptions. Being tired or busy isn’t. I have made this part of my lifestyle, and I like how I feel too much to let it slip away. It is something that everyone should make mandatory not only for aesthetic reasons, but to improve your health and wellness. Are there times that I don’t feel like it? Hell yea. Almost every day. I’m not going to lie, spending time to physically put yourself through a tough and rigorous situation isn’t my idea of fun. But I’ll tell you this, it feels amazing to get it done, and you will never walk out of the gym regretting you got your workout in. However, every day you miss, you will regret, especially if you experience health issues due to controllable ailments.

 

Get sucked into social media, talk politics, religion, or argue opinions.

I scroll and spend time on social media for business purposes, not for fun. 90% of what I post pertains to health and fitness, or mindset and self-improvement. I don’t care what your political views are, and I’m not disclosing mine. There are times to share, and there are times to keep things to yourself. Having debates or getting sucked into what everyone else is doing is a waste of valuable time, and I try to avoid it at all cost. If I see a friend’s post, I will like it, or if I see that someone is suffering a loss, I will send my condolences, but to get sidetracked and spend hours isn’t very productive. I think it is a great tool when used properly, but I also know it causes distractions, and wastes a lot of time that could be spent more effectively.

 

Play victim, the blame game or be down in front of others.

It’s my job to motivate and encourage people to improve their health and fitness. I have people to talk to when I’m down, and it’s NOT my members. Folks walk into Providence Fit Body Boot Camp to leave their problems at the door, and be coached, not to listen to their coaches’ issues. I also relay this policy to my coaches. “Having a bad day, tell me, not the members”. I live by a creed “I am responsible for everything in my life, and that gives me the power and control to change my circumstances”. If something is wrong, it’s up to me to fix it and not point the finger and blame outside circumstances. I will not let COVID or the outcome of the next election determine my success. That’s all on me, and when you blame others, you are not taking responsibility for your actions. When something doesn’t work out in your favor, you need to go back and think of what you could do better to change the future outcome. There is always opportunity behind obstacles, therefore it is up to us to dig deep and change courses whenever necessary. Blaming others, and playing the victim is never a solution for solving problems.

 

Success is, and always will be a work in progress for us all. Improving your health, income, and overall freedom from stress and anxiety takes time, practice, patience and consistency. Am I where I need to be on a financial level? No, but I know it’s because of the things I didn’t know or didn’t do. I work and exert the effort every day, and try to get closer, but until I refine my processes and routines, I will always be attacking the hill. The same goes for my health and fitness. I feel pretty good about where I am in that department, but I still keep working on it and literally attacking the hills to maintain the level I am at. Just remember that nothing comes easy, and it’s up to us as individuals to make the commitment to try to get better every day.

 

Committed to your success,

Matt

 

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