It’s raining. I might fall over if I go running now. Better wait until tomorrow to start. I’m going to have more time next week so I can revise my CV then. I can’t really afford to contribute to my pension yet. I’ll start saving when I earn more.
I’m very familiar with these excuses for putting something off until some other time,the perfect time. There will never be aperfect time or ideal circumstance to do anything. You have to make it happendespite circumstances or timing. Maybe something else needs to be uncovered…
Ask yourself honestly why you really haven’t started:
Have I set myself too big a task? Can I break it down?
When I started my exercise routine, I created a five-week plan. Looking at this five-week plan I felt a looming sense of dread. I threw out the schedule, put on some loose clothing and worked out to Just Dance for 20 minutes. I did the same thing every day after that. What’s the lesson?Yes, it’s good to plan ahead, but be conscious of overwhelming yourself to the point of inaction (some refer to it as ‘analysis paralysis‘. Since that day in July, I’ve gradually increased the intensity, duration and frequency of my workouts because I only plan for the week instead of a month.
Am I doing this for a reason? Do I have goal?
To remain disciplined with my exercise routine, I remind myself what the goal is. Get toned and feel fit. These are quite generic goals but they work for me. Every time I want to skip a day of exercise (when I’m not sick), I remind myself that I’ll get the following benefits: feel warmer, feel my age and get a better night’s sleep.
What’s the ideal circumstance I’ve created before I can ‘start’? What do I really need to get started?
From what I read, people don’t start exercising because they can’t afford a gym membership (I don’t have one), they have no time (I started off with 20 minutes a day) or they don’t know what they should be doing (Google is your friend). Then once you’ve solved those problems, then comes the ‘but I need to get some sports wear and equipment…I don’t have the money or room’. I use two bottles full of water as hand-weights and follow online training routines that use your own body weight for resistance. Simple.
*Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net