Summer Madness

Rewind three months... 

If you are a college basketball fan, this was one of the most exciting times of the year.

The NCAA Tournament, better known as "March Madness" was soon to take place.

You looked forward to the excitement of daily buzzer beaters and upsets.

You thought your bracket was going to win your pool for sure.

But after Week 1 of the tournament, you lost interest.

The upsets you picked, didn't take place.

The team you picked to win it all was upset in the second round.

The field of 64+ teams was now reduced to 16. 

As a result of how the tournament was playing out, you no longer cared about it.

The excitement you felt weeks earlier was gone by the end of March.

Does the same happen for summer?

Three months ago, you couldn't wait for the Earth's axis to tilt.

But you aren't in the shape you said you'd be in once the calendar struck June.

You had some unexpected expenses come up, and now you can't afford a vacation.

The abrupt change from mild spring temperatures to boiling swampland summer has you pissed off.

Summer has just arrived, but have you already lost interest?

You can still get your "summer body".

The house you hoped to move into got snatched up yesterday, but you can still find a home this summer.

You can still have summer fun.

The hardest, but best time to regain motivation is precisely the time you feel yourself losing interest.

At right about the time you feel you have failed, or that your goal is un-attainable. 

If you can re-motivate at a time when it doesn't seem worth it, you will be suited to find motivation for all seasons.

Snow Day

Anticipation. Expectancy. Excitement.

Late last week, Joe Winters anticipated a snowstorm to hit us Monday night. I began expecting the Meteorologist to be accurate with his claim. His prediction excited me.

But much to my dismay, the storm only scraped us on its way North of here. The mid 30 degree temps left us stranded in nothing more than an arctic swampland of slush. 

Even though a day-long nap and a lunch visit to the Pizza Ranch Buffet was the last thing I needed, a Snow Day would have been fun today - just like they have always been…and everything about them exciting.

When you were a kid, how exhilarating was it to have school cancelled due to weather? You likely experienced the same anticipation, expectancy, and excitement as I did over the last several days. You would check the scroll at the bottom of the local news station every 15 minutes until your school appeared as CLOSED.

If working out provided the same amount of excitement as an anticipated Snow Day, the world would be much healthier and in-shapier. 

Remarkably, exercising can be as exciting. But the excitement to exercise isn’t as distinct and as easily attainable as the excitement of missing a day of work or school. You will need to create your own excitement. Finding something that excites you about working out makes going to the gym easier.

Get excited about the opportunity to hit a new PR. 

Get excited to observe the physical changes happening in your body.

Get excited to exhibit your new workout gear. 

Get excited to be able to out-lift the guy doing 40-rep knee extensions at light speed, whose hygiene has been better, and displays dust-colored wool socks sticking out of his crusty And1’s.

Hyping yourself up to workout doesn't sound as desirable as dozing in and out of Vanderpump Rules episodes all of a snowy afternoon. But a Snow Day only lasts one day. Gains can last a lifetime - if they excite you enough.