A few months ago I bought the Dallas Groupon for Camp Gladiator, which is a group Boot Camp style workout complete with trainers, pep talks and a lot of really hard exercise.

I went in today saying I'll commit to at least four classes during this unlimited month of workouts that came with my Groupon. Fortunately I made that personal commitment because otherwise, I'm not sure I'd stick with it. Why?  Because it's hard, and it hurts. It's that good kind of hurt that you know you'll be happy about later because you're challenging your body.

On my first day the group of around 60 people started with a slight run followed by squats, isometrics, jumping jacks, lunges, push ups, core abs and a lot more in repetitions that made me get a little dizzy. It was tough and hot, and I honestly felt a little lightheaded. As I was lunging, jumping, crunching there I thought, "I have a choice to make here. I can do as little as possible to get by. I can push myself as hard as I can without passing out, or I can land somewhere in the middle."

Thinking about this made me think about what my yoga instructor once told me about our approach to the yoga practice. He said, "You approach your life the way you approach your practice." In other words, if you face the challenge and push through, you'll be more likely to face your challenges in life. If you don't even try to face the challenge to get into a yoga pose or do those last ten crunches, then it's likely you'll walk away from challenges at work or at home. What if you get bored with your workout? Will you quit, or will you try to find a new way to energize your exercise routine?

I took my yoga instructor's philosophy and applied it to the challenges I was facing at boot camp. I decided to press on as much as possible without pushing myself to passing out. My 100% was my neighbor's 50%, but I did my best. That's good enough even if I had to take a knee a couple of times. You also need to stop and regroup in life too so you can recharge and press on. 

These lessons from working out are so applicable to everyday work and life. They teach us great decision making skills, discipline, work life balance, and reward for a great effort. As you approach your next challenge, I encourage you to embrace it because you can!