Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda
“I should exercise.”
“I should eat healthier.”
“I should lose weight.”
We think it. We talk about it. We plan it out. We write it on our “to do” lists. There’s that thing that we should be doing and have every intention of doing, but when it comes right down to it, will we actually go through with it or just keep telling ourselves that we’ll do it “tomorrow”? This is what I like to call a case of the “should’s”. I can honestly tell you that I’ve had a case of them on more than one occasion. My “should” is stretching. I know I should do it… I plan on doing it…I tell myself I will do it…I even imagine myself doing it! BUUUUUUUT…..when it comes time to do my post-workout stretch, I find myself coming up with 8 million excuses. I will even look for reasons why I can’t stretch (I have even opted to pick up dog poop instead of stretch) and tell myself that I’ll start stretching tomorrow. And wouldn’t you know it, tomorrow comes and it’s a repeat of yesterday – no stretching. This routine becomes a part of every workout or run. I should stretch…I will stretch…I don’t stretch. Before I know it, a month has gone by and I am hit with a brutal, full-fledged case of the “should remorse” ie “I shoulda when I coulda”. I get an injury – plantar fasciitis. The most painful (and preventable) injury for runners and I have no one to blame but myself. If I would have just taken 5 minutes to stretch I wouldn’t be sidelined by this injury and unable to something that I love. Now is where I tell myself…again…that I really should stretch. And this time I stick to it. After a few weeks, my plantar fasciitis is gone, I’m more limber and I have less aches and pains after difficult workouts. Now I really appreciate the time I devote stretching. I can relax, clear my mind and enjoy the quiet. I enjoy stretching so much I often wonder why I didn’t do it before (DUH). I finally conquered one of my “should’s”, and now I challenge you to do the same. Take one thing that you know you should be doing and try to do it – no excuses. For example: try to add more veggies into your diet, go for a walk during your lunch break, or drink more water during the day. If it’s something you think you should do, give it a try. Please, whatever you do – don’t “should” on yourself!
