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All of these things are done before 9 in the morning!

So now, I can finally say that I have made this a habit. My journey to becoming a morning person started off strong and I'm proud. 

Getting here wasn't that easy though. Here are some of the things I learned along the way. 

When I started all these, I had the right motivation, mindset and discipline. But, it was a rough start. Imagine how I had to drastically change my body from being a night owl to waking up at  5AM and then dragging myself to run. It was tough. 

It's painful to run continuously. It can sometimes be boring. But, music definitely helps. It makes the run a bit bearable. I noticed I can run longer and even better when I listen to music. I highly recommend Spotify Running for this. Listening to good podcasts is also a good alternative. It makes the run even more productive. 

There were days when I don't feel like waking up very early. I was even sick at one point. But, whatever. I just went out and ran. I wasn't in my full capacity. But, doing it less is better than not doing it at all. 

Aside from the discipline and willpower to keep doing the habit, there has to be some things that will help you keep doing it even if you feel otherwise. In my case, I always ask my father to wake me up at 5AM no matter what. And, I've volunteered to drive my brother to work every 7:30AM so that alone forces me to get up early and move. This greatly helps in pushing you to keep the habit. 

The Apple Watch (screenshot above) is also a great tool to monitor your move and exercise levels. It has been a fantastic companion for my morning runs.

So many things have changed now that I can finally consider myself a morning person. 

I've been generally happier and more productive. I definitely want to keep it this way.

As of this writing, I just finished my second day at the gym. 

Yes, I have finally decided to work out and be mindful of my health. Having a great body is another reason though *wink*.

Since I am a newbie in all of these work out stuff, all you gym rats probably know how sore my muscles are at the moment. Every part of my body is aching. I feel like my body is so mad at me. It’s punching and punishing me for finally deciding to work out.

I had a really tough time earlier. The exercises were harder than yesterday. Thoughts of giving up were already in my mind. What have I gotten myself into? 

But then, I remembered “No pain, no gain."

Experiencing all of these pain is part of the process. If I focus on the goal of being physically fit, it motivates me more to do whatever it takes to get there. Even if that means having to sweat a lot and getting all my muscles sore.

Indeed, achieving the good things in life will require hard work. If you want to be rich, successful and great, it will be tough. The road to that path will never be easy. There will be pain. A lot of it. If you are not willing to go through that, then there absolutely is no ‘gain’ towards the end. 

Continue to strive for what you love to do. Focus on your goals. Look at the bigger picture. Continue working hard. Your hard work will surely pay off someday. And, when that time comes you will remember all the pain that you went through today and say “It was all worth it!"

Screw you sore muscles. I’ll continue working out till you hurt no more!