Sunday, January 17, 2010

Saturday Night Rave Vs. Sunday Morning Workout

My neighbor had a rave in his condo till 6am last night...fortunately I didn't get home from the airport till midnight and had household chores to do for a few hours. So I did some laundry, expense report for the trip, opened up all the mail that piled up while I was gone, watched sportscenter, etc.

Then I tried to go to sleep by jamming the pillows into my ears, and it worked. Fell asleep within half an hour, and while I woke up a couple of times, I slept pretty well for having a nightclub 20 feet from my bed.

I believe my ability to fall asleep quickly and sleep well is due to regular exercise, healthy eating, and my perception of reality - which is: Nothing really matters too much so try not to make a big deal out of things. For example, I knew I'd eventually be able to fall asleep so I didn't get mad and I just dealt with the situation.

Thanks to the sleep, I felt fine this morning and had a good workout.

1) Prisoner Squat Jumps

2) Squats

3A) Good Morning
3B) Planks

4A) DB Bulgarian Split Squat
4B) Back Extension

Finished fast, in only 45 minutes.

And here's a good Transformation Tip that I posted on my TT Facebook page today:

"Replace "living to eat" with something more meaningful in life. People eat out of boredom or to satisfy other unmet desires. Instead of consuming calories to "drown your sorrows", find a more productive use of time. Get your workout done first thing in the morning so that you don't live with the guilt of missing your workout all day long. Also start your day with your best meals full of fresh fruits and vegetables."

And here's another one that got a good response yesterday:

"You must create the desire within yourself to make you TAKE ACTION to satisfy your needs and wants. Motivation and inspiration can truly only come from within."

I can't motivate you. Only YOU can motivate yourself. You are the one who needs to decide that you're not happy with where you are in life and that you are going to change.

And I'll add one more thing to that. Here's a little quote from a book I'm currently reading:

""Men of action are favored by the goddess of good luck." – Richest Man in Babylon

 That doesn't just apply to your finances (as that is what the book is about), but to everything in life.

So stay strong and take action,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS - Here's another quote from a recent book I read that helps me deal with obstacles in life...

"Freedom is the opportunity to live life as you want to live it."
Harry Browne, "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World"

What he means is that we have the freedom to respond to whatever situation we have to deal with in life...last night for example, I could have gotten angry, but I was also free to deal with it by realizing that the situation would soon end and that I was better off to "put my energy" into falling asleep rather than creating a confrontation with people who were to drunk to care that I wanted to sleep. I know I made the right choice.

And you have the freedom to choose how you will respond to everything in life. You can waste grief and energy by getting angry about something you can't change, or you can choose to focus your efforts on the things you can control. Choose wisely.

1 comment:

andrewjameslowry said...

Craig I see your point about accepting the party next door but what about talking to your neighbour about future parties? Those you can affect.

IMHO you should tell your now sober neighbour to book the building's party room for future parties (I am assuming that your condo like many has a party room) or else end the party at a reasonable time (say midnight or 1 am). I suspect you were not the only person affected by the party but those other neighbours may not be men of action.

We had a noisy neighbour on our street. He quieted down after the cops were called on him. Ironically he is also a police officer.