How to Overcome Excuses to Not Exercise
July 16th 2008 15:21
I admit it, I have a huge list that I refer to whenever I need an excuse not to exercise:
*Need extra sleep!
*I'll do it tomorrow
*I'll wait until I lose a little bit of weight (???)
*After work
*After dinner
*I'll just do those visualization exercises...that's supposed to work, right?
*Ummm... I don't wanna!
So as you can see, these excuses (just a small sampling) are pretty lame. I think the main theme for every excuse (except the last one) is procrastination. I DO want to exercise, because I realize the end result, but I DON'T want to have to do it now, or today or ever.
Recognizing the excuses as being a form of procrastination is a big step towards actually exercising. Once you see through your excuse, you can combat it head-on by saying something like: "I know that excuse is just another self-defeating thought. I'm not going to let it get in the way of my health and ultimate weight-loss goal."
We need to be on guard against anything that tempts us to procrastinate. Recognize these things as soon as they enter your mind...the earlier you do, the easier it is to overcome the thought.
Another suggestion is to replace any excuse with a "reverse-excuse." In other words, say you are thinking: "I need to take a nap now. I'll take my walk tonight." Replace that thought with something like: "Will a nap REALLY be beneficial to me right now? What if I took a nap right after the walk?"
I want to write more about our thoughts in coming posts. For now, I'm going to do some laundry. Well, I think I'll wait until after my walk!
*Need extra sleep!
*I'll do it tomorrow
*I'll wait until I lose a little bit of weight (???)
*After work
*After dinner
*I'll just do those visualization exercises...that's supposed to work, right?
*Ummm... I don't wanna!
So as you can see, these excuses (just a small sampling) are pretty lame. I think the main theme for every excuse (except the last one) is procrastination. I DO want to exercise, because I realize the end result, but I DON'T want to have to do it now, or today or ever.
Recognizing the excuses as being a form of procrastination is a big step towards actually exercising. Once you see through your excuse, you can combat it head-on by saying something like: "I know that excuse is just another self-defeating thought. I'm not going to let it get in the way of my health and ultimate weight-loss goal."
We need to be on guard against anything that tempts us to procrastinate. Recognize these things as soon as they enter your mind...the earlier you do, the easier it is to overcome the thought.
Another suggestion is to replace any excuse with a "reverse-excuse." In other words, say you are thinking: "I need to take a nap now. I'll take my walk tonight." Replace that thought with something like: "Will a nap REALLY be beneficial to me right now? What if I took a nap right after the walk?"
I want to write more about our thoughts in coming posts. For now, I'm going to do some laundry. Well, I think I'll wait until after my walk!
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