Don't Quit Just Because it's Hard

I really wanted to give up during this workout today, but I don't allow myself excuses other than an illness that physically prohibits me from moving, which thankfully is a rare occurrence. I was in a fairly significant amount of pain today, though, but I didn't want to let that stop me. Maybe I'm crazy to push through something like that, but as this typically happens a day or 2 each month (sorry fellas, I am indeed referring to my monthly visitor) I don't see it as a valid reason not to move. It feels better to keep up with my workouts and keep going like normal; and exercise is supposed to help with the cramping and pain that can occur. I don't really find this to be true for me, but it still helps me feel better in other ways: I feel more energized, it improves my mood, and those benefits are worth it to me. This serves me better than just lying around; plus my workouts are short, so if I really want to, I can always lie around after I get it done. Come try today's workout with me, I'm curious to know if it was just my condition or if this workout really is pretty tough...

It took me 20 minutes to complete 3 rounds of:
5 sets of 3 pushups, 3 v ups, and a jump up
10 (on each leg) runner's skip
20 wide mountain climbers
10 (on each leg) backward lunges

Let me know if you get through this significantly faster than I did. I'm interested to even try it again myself in a few days and see if I don't do better. Maybe I'm being overly critical of myself, but please gloat when you undoubtedly kick my ass upon completing this workout :) 

The best advice I can ever give though is to just not give up. No matter how much you want to. No matter how impossible it feels or how much your brain is telling you you can't do it. Ignore it. You can do it. You can always do it. Maybe you won't break any personal records or look all that pretty or have beautiful form, but if you're safely getting it done and pushing yourself as hard as you can each day, then you are kicking ass. That's all you can do, just always do your best. That is more than enough. Your maximum level of effort will look different each day, so just because you totally crushed a workout yesterday, doesn't mean that by default a few days later you'll have just as much energy and strength to do so again, but on other days you might have even more and really kill it. It will vary and that's normal. Just always do the best you can. And I find it easiest to really give it your all when you know you don't have to do so for an excessive duration of time. That's why I'm keeping my workouts to 20 minutes or less for the rest of this month. Keep pushing with me, we're gonna get through the hectic holidays as healthy as ever!