How to stay on track with Working Out

I’m an excellent procrastinator. It would seem I love putting things off and rushing to do them last minute. Usually, this ends up with me wishing I started sooner. I tend to procrastinate most when I need to go to the gym.

I tend to come up with reasons on why I should take a day off. “I’ll go tomorrow”, “I’ll do extra tomorrow”, “It’s ok I went two days in a row, it won't matter” but all these little excused pile up and a day turns into three, and three turns into a month and I don’t know where the time went.

I realized this was a habit of mine and after a few years of this cycle I knew I needed to break it. I was an athlete in high school, I trained hard and worked out extensively. I loved feeling sore the next day cause, no pain no gain right? Somehow along the way of working non-stop, being a student, and netflix I transformed into the opposite of an athlete. I dreaded working out and despised the gym. Like, the hate was real. So here’s what i found works for me and maybe you too?!

Find what you like / Do it cause you like it

I loathe lifting weights. I hate being stagnant and it’s always felt boring to me to lift weights or do a machine. I lose interest in the treadmills even if I switch it up with interval training. I ultimately go involved with yoga and fell in love. Yoga has great health benefits; it improves flexibility, helps focus, and relieve stress. This leads to me this golden nugget though -Piyo! This class is offered at my school twice a week and stated it’s a combination of Pilates and Yoga (get it - Piyo).

I’ve never done pilates before but I loved yoga. After the teacher described the class and announced how upbeat and fast paced it was, I was all in. I was in love by the end of the first class and hooked by the third. There’s a ton of repetitious movements at various speeds. Your body is in constant motion and you’re throwing your weight around extending and strengthening those muscles! I’m getting excited just thinking about it!

Friends that sweat together stay together

I never fully understood what benefits of working out with a friend has. But let me tell you, now I know! When I’ve felt like being a slug and just watching youtube videos - my friend will text me about a spin class and I’m up and ready to go. It’s for a number of reasons actually. I’m held accountable by her because if I don’t go, she’ll hit back with a no - get up, we’re going. It’s that insistence from someone else that helps me out. Being held accountable is a large part in getting something done. Also the fact that we talk about our workouts makes me feel like I’m not in it alone, that the soreness that I feel in my legs are also felt by her and I’m not crazy.

A little bit goes a long way

Even if you don’t go to the gym everyday, or four times a week start off small. Go once a week, do a class, try for an hour. Increase it from there and build a habit. Commit to just one part of it and see what happens from there. If you try to do too much too soon, you’ll wind up quitting (again) and hating yourself (again) and have to start all over later on (again). So if you go a few days without working out, it’s ok! You’re fine. The world isn’t going to end and you’re not failing. You’re going to workout for half an hour before bed or go for  a jog. You’re going to work out for 45 minutes the next day and that’s it. Set small goals and it’ll happen.