Eliminate Excuses
If “workout” is on your to do list for the day, it has to get checked off. Too often, we find ourselves making up reasons not to complete our goals.
“Something came up.”
“I had to ________________________ so I just could not find the time.”
“I’m just not in the mood.”
All these excuses sound exactly the same: “I don’t want to.”
Now is the time to put the excuses away. Man-up or Woman-up and get your heart pumping.
Make Time
I don’t have enough time” is the biggest copout of all. You have plenty of time. 24 hours each day is a long time if you remove Resistance. Everyone in the world is given this amazing gift of 24 hours in a day – those ultra-successful people you may be admiring/envying have just as many hours in a week as you do, so choose wisely when spending those precious minutes!
Wake up earlier. You don’t need ten hours of sleep. Set your alarm for a half hour earlier and you magically have time for a quick workout. (Don’t you push that snooze button, as seductive as it may be!)
Be a scientist for a day and measure exactly how much time you spend online, watching TV, playing video games, basically measure any activity where you are sitting on your butt for an extended period of time. Graph your data to make sense of it visually (I’m a science teacher so I nerd-out hardcore on data). Hang the graph up and analyze it like a detective. What areas of your life act as Resistance to your goals? Is there any way to modify your schedule so you can fit in a workout? What can you do to facilitate your true powerful self?
Create Challenges
A few months ago I wrote about Monthly Challenges (read that here). These are key in generating the energy you need to stick with a workout routine. I love focusing on monthly challenges versus New Year’s Resolutions. If a person was to say “I’m going to go to the gym 6 days a week this year” and then as often happens, the first few weeks of February come around and you realize that you haven’t been to the gym in a while and you feel like crap for already breaking your resolution – “there’s always next year!” (Cubs fans mentality) But these monthly challenges are great because you get excited about making a positive change for a short period of time, and often you find yourself carrying on those healthy habits longer than a month. (I’ve done yoga every day since February 1st) Nevertheless, if you happen to fall short of your goal and only accomplish part of the monthly challenge, you will still be able to find the oomph to get yourself excited about the next month – a fresh start! (I “accidently” drank one beer on my “No Booze” April…we were at a brewery…oops!)
Here is what I’m challenging you to in May: Sign up for a race or some other athletic event. Put a date on the calendar and say “I need to be in shape enough to do ______ by that day.” Look at this every single day. Let that future date be your motivation.
Search for Inspiration
Sometimes we don’t get in shape because we just are not inspired. Inspiration is a weird aspect of life, some days it just hits you out of nowhere and other days you have to actively seek it out.
Look to your friends, watch inspiring documentaries, attend a live athletic event, do whatever you have to do to reinvigorate yourself.
Personally, I’m inspired by my amazing friends and family. I really admire their positivity, their determination, and their focus on success. This keeps me going and in turn makes me want to inspire them!
My main point is that I want you to find something- anything that will inspire you!
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