Procrastinator's Guide to Exercising
4 Easy Steps to Combat "Exercise Procrastination Disorder"
You wake up with every intention of starting the day with a great workout....but your sunroom and a nice cup of coffee are calling your name, you just want to take your time this morning. You can always workout after work! Ahhhh, the workday is finally over, but you really should start dinner...after dinner you will definitely workout. You have all night to exercise, why rush? You clean up the dinner dishes and the couch is calling your name! Your favorite TV show is coming on and you don't want to miss anything! It's just one show, you can work out in an hour. Oh boy! It's 9:00! How did that happen? Who wants to work out at 9:00? You can just work out in the morning...
Sound slightly familiar? You may suffer from "Exercise Procrastination Disorder." (No, it's not a real disorder, but it sounds pretty official!) The temptation to binge watch Netflix and "exercise later" is an epic battle that is being fought somewhere at this very moment! I am right there with you! I once did a workout at 11:00 p.m., which is technically the latest possible time I could squeeze in a one hour workout! I am a procrastinator by nature, and I can delay a workout just as much as the next procrastinator...but I do get my workouts in! How do I do it? Here are 4 easy steps to combat EPD.
Admit You Are a Procrastinator
The first step is simple - just be honest with yourself. If you are reading this, chances are pretty good that somewhere in the deep crevasses of your brain you realize, at least where exercise is concerned, that you are a procrastinator. If anything about the first paragraph sounded familiar, you need to keep reading! The next step is to make a promise to yourself to take proactive steps to combat EPD, or you will still be "thinking" about starting a new fitness program three years from now. Do it today!
Find a Friend
Working out with a friend is one of the best motivators on the planet! We may skip our own workout, but we are much less likely to ditch a workout with a friend. Not only is it more fun, it is so much more motivating to workout when there is some form of accountability, and meeting someone else at the gym provides that instant accountability. Think of a friend right now and send a text, email, or call them, and ask them to start this journey with you! You will be glad you did!
Print Out 10 Workouts
You want to go workout, but you don't know what to do at the gym? You start searching Pinterest for a workout, and two hours later, you realize you just wasted all the time you were going to workout. Resist the urge to find the perfect workout.
Find 10 starter workouts that are a variety of strength and cardio, upper and lower body, and that are simple to follow. Print them out and put them in a folder, so when you have time to go to the gym, you can just grab one and go. As you find other workouts, add them to your file. To get started today, your goal is to print out 10 workouts. Remember they don't have to be perfect, you just need some core workouts to get you started! A file of exercises will make your path to the gym so much smoother! (You can find a full range of workouts here, and our Pinterest workouts here)
Set Your Timer
Think about your day. What is the latest that you can workout and still get home and to bed at a decent time? Don't say to yourself "let me think about that," actually pick an exact time. Stop reading until you have a specific time in your head.
Did you pick one? Right now, set a daily alarm on your phone for that time and set a reminder to go off one hour beforehand. I am fortunate enough to workout in my basement, but if you have to travel to a gym, you need to think about travel time. We have plenty of at-home workouts you can do as well!
When that 1 hour reminder alarm goes off on your phone, if you've already worked out, you can turn it off and pat yourself on the back! If it goes off and you haven't worked out yet, it's your cue to get changed, grab a workout, and get to work!
Think Outside the Box
Perhaps your perfect idea of a workout is a sweaty weightlifting session at the gym or a Barre class at a boutique fitness center. Sometimes, those types of workouts won't fit into your day and if you don't think outside of the box, you will go to bed without any exercise at all. Maybe you will have to settle for taking a brisk walk at the park while you are waiting an hour for your daughter's soccer practice to finish. Or maybe you will have to find a gym closer to your work to stop on the way home. Perhaps dinner will need to be 30 minutes later so you can slip in a quick workout before starting to cook.
Think of all the road blocks you create in your head when you think about exercise, now try to figure out a way around them. You can do this! Your "ideal" workout may be different than what you can reasonably do on a daily basis at this time, but remember, any exercise is better than no exercise.
A one hour workout is only 4% of your day! Your body deserves just 4% of your time to be happier and healthier! Stop procrastinating and start today!
Need Workout Ideas?
