I Need to Put on Mascara, I’m Going to the Gym

I know how the title sounds: high maintenance. 

I truthfully am not. I think I’d fall somewhere between low and middle, if we were to judge such things. I’m sure nobody does that, though. The fact is that some people are able to get out of bed in the morning and get right to their sweaty workout before the sun rises. That’s amazing to me! Others are disciplined enough to end their day with an energizing workout. I am wowed by that kind of dedication. But that’s not me. I’m in the weird middle ground of finding time to get to the gym around a stay at home mom routine, and working out at home doesn’t cut it for me. 

So, after many years of avoiding, dodging, and putting off getting exercise in, I am excited to say that I’ve figured out my successful key to maintaining a consistent gym routine- and it’s applying that goopy black lash extender before I even think about filling up a water bottle and heading out the door. It sounds funny, but something about getting myself just a bit put together makes me feel like going to the gym is an actual place I need to go. Not something I can just brush off, or put on the end of my to-do list (we all know things that get put at the bottom of that list just simply don’t get done 90% of the time), but a scheduled appointment with myself for which I got ready and am committed to going to.

In this season of life, athleisure wear is my normal around the house attire, and simply putting on my running shorts and trainers doesn’t signal to my brain that it’s time to sweat. It signals it’s time to boss my kids around and do a few dishes, but not go for a jog. However, put on a bit of mascara and brush my teeth and suddenly, I can go places, including the gym! It also mentally helps me cross off that age old excuse on my list- if I go to the gym first, I’ll need to come home and get cleaned up before I go out to the grocery store and library and who has time for all of that?! I mean, I probably technically have time for that, but once I get home, it’s highly unlikely I’m doing all of the car seat buckles necessary to leave again.

There’s something about that quick coat of blackish brown (or do I wear brownish black? I can never remember) magic that makes it seem okay to wander down the bread aisle of my nearest grocery store after a good run, in all of my sweaty-but-with-my-eyes-on glory. My fellow shoppers might not agree with me, but I’m on a post-workout endorphin high so it’s unlikely I’d even notice if I got a judgey side eye.

I used to wonder how someone could be so high maintenance as to bother putting on any makeup before the gym, as I logged another sweaty treadmill mile. Now, I just chalk it up to her maybe being another otherwise unmotivated mom, looking for something to make exercise feel important enough to schedule time for. 

Do you have an uncommon motivator that helps you get in exercise? Something that seems weird to others but works for you? Or are you one of those unicorns that just enjoys the rush of exercise?