Endorphins and Acting Like a Rockstar

When my keyboard starts getting too heavy to carry after a gig and I'm out of breath by time I get it to the car, I know it's time to get back into a workout routine. Only problem is I don't want to.  I know there are lots of people out there that share this problem with me, so I figured I'd share how I solve it.  Here is how I get myself to get in shape when I don't feel like it!

1. Mouth the song on my iPod like I'm on stage performing it.  I happen to be a singer, but this can work for anyone while you're jogging or doing some other form of cardio. You know you're a rockstar in the mirror at home when the door's closed anyway!

2. Get a friend.  This gives me extra motivation to go when I don't feel like it and makes it more fun. Speaking of fun...

3. Dance.  I  know the singing in the mirror you do is probably accompanied by dancing anyway, so just stretch it out a little longer and get that heart rate up for about 30 minutes.

4. Meditate on the word of God.  Working out can be a good time to get a scripture in my head and really think it over deeply.

5. Eat well.  If I fill myself with junk food, I'm going to feel like...junk.  Junk doesn't work out.  It just sits there being junky.

6. Switch it up!  Don't do the same thing every time you work out.  Sometimes I ride my bike, go to the gym, jog at the park with a friend, go hiking, play basketball (actually that one's not true, I can't play basketball for my life, but I put it there for you), or mix activities like jumping rope, running, and jumping jacks.

7. Don't stop moving.  When I get home from work and then sit down for a while and start thinking about how I'm going to work out later, later turns into being asleep... then perhaps dreaming about working out... which doesn't help my abs one bit.  Go work out while you're already up and moving!

8. Think about the consequences.  There is diabetes on both sides of my family and as an African American, there's a lot of high blood pressure in my family as well.  I want to do what I can to prevent these problems for myself and my future family.

9.  Start small.  If I go through a period of time where I get off track, jumping back into the same level of working out as before will discourage me.  I like to take a little time to work back up to it.

10. Just start! I find this to be the hardest part. Don't think too much! Just get going and those endorphins will do the rest! In the end, you'll feel great and be glad you did it.


Say goodbye to that 6 (minus 5) pack!

...It's the best I could do with my free paint software...

Check out what I carry my keyboard to do by checking out three videos by my band!