Initiative
The power or ability to begin or to follow through energetically with a plan or task; enterprise and determination.
Don’t you love New Years? Everything seems possible! We’re going to lose 20 pounds. stop eating processed foods, get to the gym, declutter our homes, get our finances squared away, save more money, be nicer to everyone . . . the list goes on & on because a new year = a new beginning.
Or so we think. But how many resolutions do you actually follow through on? That’s right, in order to change, you need a hefty dose of initiative. So it’s not just setting that resolution, it’s actually following through on it.
How I set myself up to get out the door early
This week’s prompt was just perfect; thank you Deb! Because the following is something I wanted to share.
My group runs start early. Not as early as some of you, but we meet between 6-7 am depending on the length of the run. Here’s what I do to make it happen:
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Lay out my clothes the night before
My husband is still in bed when I leave. It’s bad enough I’m taking the dogs in & out, but turning on the lights to grab my gear would not be appreciated. Although I’ll admit occasionally I forget something and I still have to go in and search for it. -
Put out my out my fuel in my running bag
If it’s a run longer than an hour, I probably need something right before the run and during the run. And I’ll want to pop an electrolyte tab into my water afterward. And probably eat a snack. So all that goes in my running bag the night before -
Put sunblock, anti chafe cream, lip balm out the night before
So I don’t forget to put all that stuff on. -
Cut up my RockTape
If I’m taping. When I used KT Tape it was preforated, but RockTape isn’t. I don’t want to think about what I need, I want to just grab it & apply it. -
Prep breakfast
If it’s overnight oats, it’s just a matter of putting it together sometime during the week. If it’s baked oatmeal, I put it in a mini crockpot the night before so all I have to do is take it out and eat it. And I always have a few bars on hand in case there’s some kind of emergence (oversleep, something going on with the animals).
I’m seriously in awe of people who roll out of bed and run. It takes a lot of initiative for me to get out that door!
Success depends in a very large measure upon individual initiative and exertion, and cannot be achieved except by a dint of hard work.” — Anna Pavlova
What sort of initiative do you have to take for fitness?
Chocolaterunsjudy 
Great prep!
My only initiative is to write out my workouts for the week. I find if I don’t do that. I am less likely to workout. Case in point-i didn’t workout today because once I woke up, I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do (run or weights) so instead I slept-lol!
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That’s why I love a plan. I don’t have to think about it, it’s already written out for me. 🙂
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Oh, yes, I lay out everything the night before. I am seriously OCD. Not kidding.
Who needs the stress of trying to gather everything together in the fog of awakening?
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I am constantly amazed at the members of my group who grab whatever they can lay their hands on that morning!
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I also get everything ready the night before. I run alone and I usually just get up and run. I’m only doing 5kms at a time at the moment so it’s not too big a deal.
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Hey, even for a 5k you need a bra, a top, a bottom, hat/visor, maybe water, maybe a snack, shoes, socks, sunglasses . . .
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Yes and they’re all lying ready for me to get up and dressed early tomorrow morning. It’s the only way!!
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If I’m running a race, yes, I lay out all my stuff the night before. But rarely (unless I have a super early run) do I lay my stuff out…I’m kind of spontaneous like that…
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If I don’t then I have to root around & wake up my husband and he is seriously NOT a morning person. Although oddly he started getting up much earlier this summer.
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I am definitely a planner too! Good tips
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I lay my clothes out. And THEY (means things they are) keep me accountable. They’re laying over their taunting me. Seriously. I don’t think I’ve ever ditched a run (unless storming maybe) if my clothes were out. I can be out the door pretty fast. A few bites of yogurt, a few sips of water and I’m gone!
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Oh no, for me it’s a long drawn out process for a long run! Kind of have it down to a science now, though.
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I love pre-planning like this! I definitely think it helps to get me out the door & be successful, but also in calming my mind in the evenings. Everything is set up for my run the next morning, so there’s nothing for me to worry about. Great play on initiative!
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I’m not sure it’s always calming for me because I’m always afraid of forgetting something & often do, it seems. But it definitely helps to have it done.
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Great pre-planning!! During the week, I don’t have to get out the door because I just have to jump on the treadmill. on Sunday, I have to wait for Greg to get up so I have hours to get ready 😉 I wish we could get out as early as you do, though.
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I would go out later on my own. It was hard when Lloyd was gone – I was walking the dogs at 5:30am & then going for my long run!
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That’s rough. How did the dogs feel about it?
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The dogs were pretty much ok with it. Lola doesn’t particularly like going out that early, but it was better than the alternative of leaving them for hours on their own.
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I sleep in my running clothes 🙂
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Yep. A layer-outer of clothes here, too. Also because of sleeping husband. And also because it’s one less thing to think about at argh! o’clock.
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Thankfully we’re still in summer. Winter’ll come soon enough!
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I do prepare at night I at the very least know where my clothes are, they may not be all laid out if I have more time and don’t have to worry about waking anyone up but once I lay down I decide right then if I’m going to run or not. I pretty much stick to my decision unless of course Mother Nature throws me a curve ball and she has done that recently 😦
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I’m more loosey goosey if I’m not training for a race, but I’m usually training for a race!
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Same here – everything is laid out the night before or I would forget it! 🙂
I love that this week’s word tied in with something you’d been wanting to write about! Thanks, as always, for linking up!
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And I really love Wednesday word!
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As long as I know what I’m doing (which route), I can roll out of bed, but putting out my gear is always helpful!
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If you didn’t take the initiative to lay everything out in advance the night before, it would be much easier to skip the run in the morning!
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I don’t skip runs. Just not in my DNA. 🙂
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