Who else has Hamilton playing in their head?!
Seriously, pretty much 24/7, Hamilton songs are playing in my head. Today I was thinking about writing about choosing ‘when’ you want to exercise, not ‘if’. As I was thinking, one of the lyrics from Hamilton popped into my head. The one where he says “it’s not a matter of if, Burr, but which one” (referring to marrying a Schuyler sister). This motivated ‘Hamilton’s Advice for Daily Exercise’.
It is not a matter of ‘if’
This is one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give anyone looking to build a regular exercise routine. Don’t make it a question of ‘if’ you will move your body that day. I think back to biking to class everyday in undergrad. In Minnesota. In winter. I’m talking 20 below zero and I was biking to class. How?! Because I didn’t give myself the option not to!
How do I walk my dog every day for an hour no matter how busy my day was? I’ve gotten up an hour early or stayed up an hour late to walk him. Because it is not an option of whether or not he will get his walk.
It IS a matter of ‘when’
Technically, the lyrics say ‘which one’ – either work! Do you get my point?! It is not a matter of if, but when! Not if I will go for a bike ride or walk the dog, but when. Don’t ask yourself if you will work out (or each your vegetables or whatever your goal is). By asking ‘if’ it is an option. Instead, ask ‘when’. When will you move your body. When will you eat those vegetables waiting in the fridge. By asking ‘when’ it assumes that the thing is going to happen. No question.
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