The benefits of exercise are undeniable- yet somehow our list of endless excuses remains! We read something inspiring, and resolve to wake up early tomorrow morning to workout. Yet when tomorrow morning rolls around, we wake up and think, ‘nah’- just to put it off our fitness success another day.
Sometimes, things just come up! Your friends make plans midday, your boss assigns an extra assignment right before the end of the day, your significant other forgets to tell you they made plans for you, etc., etc..
And if none of those happen, then of course we go through the checklist to make sure all of the perfect workout conditions are in order-
The right mood
Enough sleep
72 degrees with 3 clouds in the sky
Great hair day
Pigs are flying
Pigs aren’t flying?- ‘Okay, I think I’ll just settle in for the night and enjoy an extra 30 minutes of Netflix and chill.’
With the millions of excuses, how are we supposed to buckle down, and get moving? For me, the solution has been about focusing on two key elements to fitness success- they’re honest, they’re manageable long term, and they’re do-able no matter where you’re at in your fitness journey!
Element #1: TIME
When it comes to working out, time is often a restraining factor. It’s one thing to say that you have your plan, it’s set, there’s no moving it- but is that realistic? We live lives that include a lot of last minute schedule changes. You can’t say no to the things that come up in life forever and always.
Expect that you will be bombarded with schedule changes and excuses that will constantly try to keep you from your workouts. It’s only realistic. But what will be your response to these excuses and changes when they come up?
First of all, can you say no to the schedule change? If you can’t say no to the change, think about how you can fit a workout in sometime, somewhere….
Are you meeting a friend in the evening? Ask if they would like to include something active in your plans. Running late and have less time to workout? Can you fit in a shorter workout of some kind?
Even if it wasn’t what you planned, even if it’s late at night, even if it isn’t perfect- carve out the precious time and show up!
Element #2: EFFORT
Maybe it’s just me, but it’s not always a lack of time that keeps me from working out. At the core of my problem is this pressure to perform well on my workouts. I’m victim to the lie that all that matters in my fitness journey is my skill, my strength, my speed, my improvements.
I worry about what people will think and what I’ll think, if I don’t run faster than I did last time, or if I can’t lift heavier than I did last week. My everyday workouts become these self-created performance tests.
The possibility of failing at these performance tests is so unappealing, it keeps me from working out at all! Because, who needs the negative energy of an extra failure in their life these days?
The truth of the matter is: the performance mindset is a BIG FAT LIE! Even if you didn’t perform better today than you did yesterday, that workout was not a waste!
There will always be fluctuations in conditions, in how we feel- sometimes we just have crappy days! But crappy day or not, slower or faster, stronger or weaker, every effort you put in, no matter how fast, how strong, how far- contributes to your progress.
Focus on putting in the effort, and progress will come.
So What Now…?
The PK team is challenging YOU! And, we aren’t challenging you to a perfect performance, in fact we could care less about your current skill, or fitness level.
We are challenging you to put in time, and put in effort. Simple as that!
So get your mind right- carve out the time, turn on your PK App, and just focus on putting in the effort! PK will take care of the rest.