Get serious....

Get serious about exercise

You’ve waited long enough. Now is the time to put your excuses aside and do what you should have been doing all along: exercise. If you’ve been procrastinating to exercise for weeks, months, or even years, you’re not alone. When working out isn’t a part of your regular lifestyle, it can be hard making the necessary changes to fit it in. It can also be challenging to fears associated with exercise. Or, you may just be lazy and would rather sit around while your health declines and your weight is on the incline.

This article is here to tell you: it’s time to stop the procrastination and start getting serious about exercise and improving your life. Once you make exercise a part of your life, you’ll wonder why you ever put it off.

Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday. – Napoleon Hill

Find the Time

You’re busy. There’s no question about that. Before you know it, the day has come and gone and exercise was once again put off for another day. Difficult as it is to believe, if you make exercise a priority, you’ll find the time.

It can seem like a daunting task to find the time to go to the gym every day.

Traveling to and from the gym, working out, and showering can easily take up two hours of your day. Procrastinators will find it helpful to break exercise up into smaller increments of time. A quick 10 minutes here and 15 minutes there can quickly add up to your recommended 30 minutes a day. So challenge yourself to a 15-minute brisk walk during your lunch break, go on a short jog 20-minute jog before your morning shower, or shoot hoops with the kids after dinner. Better yet, make full use of your personal trainer and meet your trainer at the gym before the sun comes up!

Make It Enjoyable

Maybe you find exercise too difficult because you’re out of shape or perhaps you find it boring and monotonous. If the word “exercise” conjures up images of running on a treadmill with no destination in sight, listen up! There are dozens of exercise options and you get to choose the one you most enjoy.

Hate to sweat? Go swimming. Feel claustrophobic or embarrassed at the gym? Walk around the neighborhood or go for a hike. Too hot or cold outside? Put on an exercise DVD. Try different workouts until you find the one you enjoy and you may end up viewing exercise as a hobby rather than a chore.

Set Attainable Goals

People often procrastinate to exercise because they feel overwhelmed by their weight or health problems. They’ve let things go this long, so why start now? Well, your health and well being should be reason enough.

Rather than look at the big picture, start small and set short-term, realistic goals. This could mean walking around the block each day for a week or losing five pounds. Rather than running a marathon or losing 50 pounds, set goals you can reach.

It’s easy to lose motivation when you try to do too much exercise too fast. Start slow and start small to avoid burnout or muscle soreness.

Find a Partner

You know you should exercise, but can’t seem to muster the motivation. What if you had a friend waiting for you at the gym each morning? What if that friend was also specifically trained in helping you meet your goals? You may actually get out of bed rather than hit the snooze button. Accountability is helpful for those who have trouble committing to exercise.

An exercise partner (a.k.a. personal trainer) will also make your workout more enjoyable and help the time go by faster. So call up your trainer and make it a date. You’ll be glad you did.