I went to the doctor this morning to get a check up. I like to get my cholesterol tested because heart disease runs in my family. So, after the nurse took some blood, she asked whether I wanted a band-aid or medical tape to put on my arm.

I asked her what would hurt less.

“Why is everyone so afraid of pain?!” she says. “Pain means you’re alive!”

“We all need to enjoy pain more! Too many people are dying and would love to feel pain!”

I was thinking about that for a while after I left and it’s so true. We fear pain. We fear that little prick a needle makes. We avoid it as much as we can.

Yet, in that moment, as the needle is penetrating my skin I feel alive!

And what is there to fear but fear itself?

Pain is good. Unless it kills you, it helps you grow. It helps you become stronger. “If I was able to deal with that, I can definitely deal with this!”

That perspective and that foundation and that insight is with you for the rest of your life.

Talk to someone who has faced some pretty tough things in their life and they’ll have more depth and perspective than the person who hasn’t.

Talk to someone who has been laid off from a job and they’ll have more depth and perspective about what it means to have job security.

Talk to someone who has lost a loved one and they’ll have more depth and perspective about what it means to appreciate your loved ones now!

And on and on.

In every case, and the countless examples I can think of, the person who has experienced more pain and more discomfort has more to offer than the person who hasn’t.

Which leads us to our everyday life. We get to experience and enjoy pain each day!

Yet, we’ll do anything to avoid it!

When there is junk food and we say, “Heck no! I don’t want that crap!” that’s a type of pain. That discomfort makes us stronger. Yet we’re so scared to face that pain. To feel that discomfort.

When we’re running or walking and our legs start hurting. Our feet hurt. Our mind wants to quit so badly. But you’re only at 15 minutes. Or 25 minutes. Or 45 minutes. And you still have 15 minutes left…what are you going to do? Are you going to avoid that pain? That discomfort? Or are you going to embrace it. And enjoy it?

When we’re faced with a decision on whether or not to eat healthfully. What do you choose? The easy one where this is no discomfort now? Or the one where you face a tiny bit of discomfort and get to feel great later for making the decision you really wanted to make!?

So today, I want you to seek pain. And when it’s present, enjoy it. Be mindful of it. Crave it.

Because after all, feeling pain and discomfort means you’re alive!!!

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. A Christian tradition in which through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial – believers prepare for Easter.

For those who celebrate Easter many of you have told me what you intend on giving up for Lent.

The quickest way to appreciate something is to deprive yourself of it.

The best way to make yourself feel better is to stop doing things that make you feel bad. (Duh! Right? But many of us only focus on what we want to do more of. As opposed to what we want to do less of.)

Let’s say Lent wasn’t 40 days. It was only a week. And let’s pretend for a second you could only focus on how good it would make you feel, if you gave that ‘thing’ up.

You couldn’t focus on how hard it would be. Or how uncomfortable you’d feel. Or how challenging it’d be.

Got that one thing?

Remember: You’d be giving up something that makes you feel bad. Using it or eating it or doing it makes you feel bad after you’re done. Just for a week though. Starting today.

I got mine.

What’s yours?

Now what if I said, instead of a week, it’ll be just for a day.

Less scary right?

Let’s try it just for the day. Even if you already did it, or ate it, or used it, that’s okay!

For the next 24 hours, starting right now, let’s have our own mini-lent. (For those already giving something up for Lent, pick something else.)

We’ll call it Disco.

Disco begins now…

P.S. On your Daily Feedback tell me what you picked. I’m excited to read what you chose!

I hope your Monday is off to a great start. I always focus on making Monday an exercise day and a healthy day of eating because it really sets the tone for the week. Even if it wasn’t so far, it’s never too late to start.

Many people expect to lose weight after just one week of eating comparatively healthy. But unfortunately, we forget about this and that, and all the indulgences we choose to have.

The point isn’t that we can’t ever indulge. Because we can.

The point is that if you’re truly frustrated that you didn’t lose weight after 4 days of eating healthfully, you’re never going to be able to stick to this.

Let me ask you some questions:

How long did it take you to graduate high school?

How about college?

How long did it take you to have a child? (No matter how many women you put together, it’s unfortunately, still 9 months!)

It’s not an overnight process. Nor a week-long process. Yet, how come for everything else we don’t question how long it’s going to take us to get gratification?

And this is YOU we’re talking about here.

Here’s another question: How long did it take you to get out of shape? I’m pretty sure it was longer than 4 days.

You get out, what you put in! There’s no question about it.

Just like you didn’t graduate high school in 4 days, you’re not going to get in shape in 4 days.

And when you live and die by the scale, once the scale hits the number you desperately want it to hit, you’re going to revert back to all your old behaviors.

If you want to change the way you look and feel, you have to change your actions!

Instead, focus on short term gains. Focus on how accomplished you feel. Focus on how much better it feels to love and respect yourself! Focus on how much better it (and it really does) feels to eat healthfully and exercise than the alternative.

We all want instant gratification. But if you focus on the day to day wins – it becomes a lot easier to string together a long line of wins which is another name for consistency!

Instead of obsessing over the number on the scale, obsess over the small daily wins.

They add up!

But also realize that every win is just as important as the one before it, and the one after it!

Many people feel so in control during the day but when nighttime comes it’s very hard for them to not overeat.

Overeating is simply a way for us to change the way we feel. Or more so numb how we feel so we don’t have to feel it. The only way to overcome overeating is to let yourself feel.

I think night time is the time many of us overeat because it’s the first chance we actually have all day to feel. However, if nighttime eating isn’t your thing, this still applies.

It’s important to ask yourself some questions at night (or whenever).

Here are some to get you started:

What does the nighttime represent to you?

Are you lonely?

Do you wish you were with a lover?

Are you dreading another day of work?

Are you overwhelmed by the stuff all around you?

Are you extremely bored?

Are you not intellectually challenged?

Do you have a significant other/spouse that makes you feel even more lonely because you don’t connect with them in a way that you want to be?

If you want to crack the code on why you overeat at night start asking yourself these questions.

Here’s the deal though: Deep down we may know (even though we might not want to know) the real reason. And if you don’t, asking these questions will help you.

For a lot of people making big life changes is terrifying. I hear you! Change is absolutely 1000% scary.

But if you’re going to ’stick it out’ whatever it is and choose (because it is a choice) unhappiness over uncertainty here’s my advice:

Make the best of your situation and accept it.

But don’t fight reality. A reality that’s in your control to change.

Because you can change it. Or you can make the best of it. But complaining is just useless.

Start thinking about these and if you need some help, I am here for you, as always!