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\nBy a guy who believes in grace, sweat, and ice cream for\u00a0 breakfast…<\/em><\/p>\n After about the twentieth morning of doing the same half-hearted bodyweight workout in my living room, I could swear my yoga mat rolled its eyes at me. Not metaphorically. It actually<\/em> rolled \u2014 like it was trying to make a break for it. Even the houseplants were starting to lean away from me, like they didn\u2019t want to witness another half-hearted set of squats to lo-fi beats.<\/p>\n That\u2019s when it hit me: I wasn\u2019t working out \u2014 I was just reenacting an ancient ritual of boredom. Like Groundhog Day in sweatpants.<\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t tired. I was bored<\/em>. And bored, for me, is just a step away from giving up.<\/p>\n See, monotony\u2019s sneaky. It dresses up like discipline. It tells you that routine is noble. That if you just grind a little harder, stick it out, don\u2019t flinch, you\u2019ll be rewarded. But the problem is, it forgets to bring joy. Or oxygen. Or the spark that makes you want to keep going<\/em> instead of crawling back under the covers with a bag of pretzels and a vague sense of failure.<\/p>\n Monotony is not your friend. Curiosity is. So is surprise. So is switching it up before your spirit puts up a \u201cGone Fishing\u201d sign.<\/p>\n One morning, I said screw it. I laced up my sneakers and danced in the kitchen. Not well. Think \u201cdad-at-a-wedding\u201d meets \u201cmosquito caught in a ceiling fan.\u201d But man, I was alive. I laughed. I sweated. I accidentally knocked over a houseplant. Then I tried planking with my kid on my back. Then I walked backwards up a hill because I read somewhere it\u2019s good for the brain.<\/p>\n Was it efficient? Nope. Did I burn calories? Sure. But more importantly, I woke up. Not just physically, but spiritually. I remembered I wasn\u2019t doing this just to shrink my waistline \u2014 I was doing it to expand my life.<\/p>\n We get so wrapped up in perfect routines, we forget that movement<\/em> is what matters. So you miss a day? Big whoop. So you swap the spin bike for a hike or a badly choreographed living room dance party? Your body doesn\u2019t file a complaint. Your soul, though \u2014 it might just throw a parade.<\/p>\n Changing up your routine doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re slacking. It means you\u2019re staying in the game. It means you\u2019re listening to the part of yourself that says, Hey, I\u2019d like this to not suck.<\/em><\/p>\n Changing your routine isn\u2019t quitting. It\u2019s a kind of faith \u2014 faith that joy and growth are not mutually exclusive. That you don\u2019t have to grind yourself into dust to be worthy. That you\u2019re allowed to try something new. Fail at it. Laugh. Try again.<\/p>\n So yeah \u2014 stretch, sweat, show up. But don\u2019t be afraid to color outside the lines once in a while. Wear the ridiculous socks. Do shadow boxing in the mirror. Try tai chi in the park even if you feel like a confused flamingo.<\/p>\n Your body will thank you. But more importantly, your soul will high-five you.<\/p>\n P.S. Try changing up your routines in other areas of your life if you feel stagnant.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Routine Was Starting to Stare Back<\/h2>\n
Discipline\u2019s Evil Twin: Monotony<\/h2>\n
So I Did Something Dumb \u2014 and Perfect<\/h2>\n
Your Goals Don\u2019t Care How<\/em> You Get There<\/h2>\n
Faith, Not Force<\/h2>\n