Each morning when I wake, I think of how lucky I am to have one more day. My first thoughts tend to be of the blessings in my life and how thankful I am for them.

I wake up in a warm bed, in a warm comfortable house with my husband and my girls are healthy and safe down the hall. How can I ask for much more when there are so many people with far less.

I think about how inconsequential everything else is compared to my health and well-being. Because without my health and well-being, I cannot be a good wife or nurturing mother, let alone a positive contributor to everyone else around me. It’s like the airline safety announcement, “put your oxygen mask on first before assisting others”. I can’t be of any use to anyone else if I’m not taking care of myself first.

Those thoughts just make it a bit easier to drag myself out of my warm comfy oh so wonderful bed and get dressed to workout. It’s dark, the owl is still hooting and if I don’t go down to the garage and workout now, it’s not going to happen later either. Working out first thing in the morning is the only way for me to get it done for the day. I’ve got way too many excuses to workout after work or at night.