We all have those days where our motivation tank is completely empty — yes, even avid walker Al Roker.
“Sometimes, I don’t feel like going out,” he told TODAY Health. But the TODAY anchor and weatherman has been getting in his 10,000+ steps for 215 days straight, so he somehow manages to get himself out the door even on those days he doesn’t feel like it.
How does he do it?
“Talk to yourself,” he said. “How are you going to feel not going out to walk compared to how good you’ll feel after getting out there?”
He also reminds himself how much harder it will be to get back to it once he loses momentum. “When I get out of my routine, it’s harder to get it going again, so just get out there.”
And while he may push himself to get out and walk — he takes it easy on those days when he doesn’t feel especially motivated or energetic. “My RunCoach, Hiruni (Wijayaratne), says ‘Something is better than nothing.’ Maybe there’s not much in the tank. But still, doing less than what you normally do is better than not doing anything.”
Al’s walking journey began two years ago after prostate cancer surgery when his doctor urged him to walk up to 5 miles a day in the week following his surgery. “I felt better both physically and mentally. I enjoyed the time to disconnect and focus on feeling good,” Roker said. “While it wasn’t motivated by weight loss, I started losing weight and drinking more water.”
Other fitness milestones over the past year include shaving five minutes off his mile time and walking the NYRR Brooklyn Half.
“Not inconsequentially, I feel like I look better and have more energy at work,” he said.
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Source: Today