How to get past workout procrastination
Most of us have hit this wall when we start working out. We go to the gym a few times, miss a few more times, and eventually, we are paying for that gym membership and never going. It’s as if we think that just paying it will get us healthy. Getting yourself into a good gym routine and sticking to it can seem an insurmountable obstacle. Here are some things that might help.
Just go through the door
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is actually getting to the gym. We have found a good tip that works very well is just going through the door. If you don’t have time to work out as there is a meeting or whatever reason you might have, just go to the gym, go through the door turn around and walk back out. Just getting to the gym is usually the biggest hurdle. You can tell yourself you aren’t going to work out today and that’s fine, but 3 days a week, walk into the gym no matter what. You will find once you are there that you will work out a little, and eventually it will become a habit and you will not have the problem again.
3 months makes a habit
We have found this to be a pretty good number. Keep going to the gym and working out and after about 3 months you will have turned the corner and it will feel strange not to go to the gym. You will miss it and feel incomplete if you don’t go. Everyone is different though, so if your habit isn’t set after 3 months? Give it another 3 months, eventually it will be a habit no matter how long it takes and become a part of your life. The only rule is to keep going.
Track your goals
In the beginning, it is a good idea to track every aspect of your training. Make goals and fight towards them. After you have trained and worked out long enough, you will not need to do this, but in the beginning, seeing the changes is a great motivation. You can also take pictures of yourself, and compare them for progress. You have to remember that it takes time and is not instant, but if you can measure results, it will keep you going.
Pack a gym bag and keep it in your car.
It is too easy to get home after work and settle in. It becomes very hard to get enthused about getting up and going back out to the gym again. It’s so much easier to say you will go tomorrow. Pack a gym bag and keep it in your car. If there is a gym in walking distance from work, pack the bag and stick it at your desk. You want to make it as easy as possible to avoid any excuses.
Affirmations
This might seem silly, but affirmations do work as long as you believe them. Instead of thinking of the gym with dread, think of it as the one place you want to be. Make a list of all the things that are great about it, such as no interruptions, peace and quiet from work, great people watching, and anything else that you can make positive. Tell yourself that you can’t wait to go, and you enjoy it a lot. Believe it, and eventually, it becomes true. As they say, fake it till you make it.
Haters
If you really hate the gym, you can look at many different alternatives. Most of us don’t have the discipline to work out properly at home, but you can buddy up and start an exercise time. Have a friend over and work out, they will keep you honest and you will keep them honest. You can take a sports class, or yoga, or anything really as long as you are making the effort. The more you put into exercise, the more you will get out of it. Find what you enjoy.
You want that perfect body but you aren’t going to get it sitting on the couch and buying the latest workout video if you don’t actually make the effort. If you can make the effort and bring that intensity up to a level where your heart is pounding, then over time, it won’t matter and you will have that body. It might take a few months, or a few years, but as long as you don’t quit and keep going you will get there. The most important first step is starting and not stopping. The best time to start is now, not tomorrow, now. Make it part of your life, you will thank us later.