Make or Break Moments.

As moments go, they weren't all that significant. They didn't change the world or command attention from the masses. But they mattered to me.

The first moment happened last night about 10:30pm, when I found myself staring at my just-emptied gym bag. It was calling to me, telling me to pack it up for the next day's workout. "Meh," I thought. "I've just run two days in a row, and a good rule to follow is 2 On, 1, Off. So no work out for me."

But in that moment, I knew it was the wrong decision. So I chose to pack my bag for the next day.

The next moment came this morning at 6:10am, when the alarm went off. I thought, "my legs are still sore from the last two days of running, so I should probably take the day off." But I knew that was just an excuse to avoid getting out of bed. I knew I needed to get up. "Besides," I thought, "my work clothes are already in my gym bag, and I'd have to unpack it to get dressed for work. Might as well get up and go to the gym."

So I did. I got up. And I went to the gym.

The next moment came when I was on the treadmill. I had decided on a 5K loop with the intention of pushing myself beyond my normal 10 minute per mile pace. "I can do more than that today," I thought. So I cranked the speed up so I was running right around 9:15 per mile. But by the time I got to the second mile, I felt as if I was done. "You've pushed it enough, so stop at two miles and call it a day."

At that moment, though, I knew I had a choice to make. I could either quit early and feel like a loser all day long, or I could tough it out and feel like a rock star all day long. So I cranked the speed up another notch and went for it all.

And I finished the 5k loop in 28:20. That means I hit 9:08 minute miles. And that is the fastest I have run in months.

These moments may not mean anything to the rest of the world, and that's fine. They matter to me. And they make a difference. Seriously, these make or break moments can change everything. Because I packed my bag, I made it harder to sleep in the next morning. Because I got up and went to the gym, it was harder to cut my planned workout short. And because I stayed the course and ran the full distance, I'm feeling great and motivated to get right back after it tomorrow.

And most importantly, because I worked out today and decided to take a selfie at the gym, I discovered I was having total rock star hair. See?

So listen to your heart and not your head. You know how to respond in those moments. So go for it!

One Workout Won't Change Your Body.

First, the bad news. One workout won't change your body. You'll likely burn between 400-600 calories, which is about the same as a burger from McDonalds. Not the fries, too, just the burger. It takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to burn a single pound of fat, so unless you ran a full marathon, your one workout isn't doing much for your body.

Like I said, that's the bad news. Now for the good news. Changing your body isn't the goal of a single workout. The goal is to change your attitude, your heart and eventually, your soul.

Lofty goals for a single workout, right? Sure. But it's possible. It's not only possible, it's inevitable. And here's why:

Your brain has triggered a rush of the mood-elevating hormone dopamine. And that adds to your already good feeling of accomplishment from working out. So it's a two-fer, both chemical and emotional. You feel good. And feeling good means that your attitude about everything around you gets better. You are more likely to smile at those around you, to hold a door open for someone, and even to greet a stranger with a friendly, "good morning."And those people around you are likely to respond to that kindness with kindness of their own, making you the recipient of smiles, courtesy, and friendly greetings.

So your workout has changed your attitude, which has softened your heart, and improved the world around you. And that is what heals your soul.

Wow. That's a lot from one workout, right? Okay, maybe that doesn't happen exactly like that just because you ran a 5k or pushed some weights around in strength training. But some variation of it will happen. And that's a great thing.

Another benefit of working out? Because you feel good and proud of yourself, you are more likely to make good, healthy decisions about eating all day long. You know what it took to burn those calories, so you will be mindful about all the calories you take back in.

And the best news? With enough of those workouts and those days of purposeful eating, your body WILL change. You will see and feel results. So get out there and make it happen!

Me, post 5k run and proof that a little exercise is great for your mood.