I didn't feel like going to the gym. My 14-year-old didn't either. It was a rainy Saturday, perfect conditions for writing or being lazy.

But I've learned enough to know that you rarely feel like it at the start and almost always feel glad you did at the end. So we mustered the motivation, built a workout that would work for us both, and headed to Crunch Fitness.

It wasn't the hardest workout I've ever done, but it was the most important one.

Because I got to teach my son the fundamentals of weight lifting, and more importantly, show him what it looks like to act differently than you feel. That's a lesson no classroom delivers.

On the way home, sitting in the car, I kept it simple:

Remember the feeling of finishing something hard. You'll need it the next time your motivation tells you to quit before you've even started.

He was quiet for a second, then said, "Can you help me stay accountable to this?"

I said, of course. Because nobody, regardless of age, outgrows the need for accountability. That includes me.

Maybe this is your nudge to exercise today. Maybe it's a reminder that your feelings aren't always telling you the truth. Either way, acting differently than you feel is almost always worth it.