Making exercise a priority is good in theory, right?
But, in practice, life is busy – work is demanding and families need attention. Before you know it another day has just slipped by, as have your intentions to get moving.
You, much like everyone else, probably started out imagining how great it would be to start exercising.
You’re inspired by pictures of other people’s physical transformations; you’ve got fitness goals hash-tagged on social media but when it comes to putting in the hard yards, motivation gets lost and you’ve got more excuses why you can’t, than reasons why you should.
But, as it turns out, there’s mind-trick for getting yourself to the gym and onto the dreaded treadmill.
Success researchers say one of the ways of achieving any goal is by a process where you imagine how you will feel once you’ve attained that goal.
So, if your goal is fitness-related, thinking about how you’ll feel happier, healthier and fitter as a result of your dedication to working out puts your mind into bigger-picture thinking.
This helps to shift the focus from the present moment – along with any perceived thoughts and feelings of discomfort associated with the activity – to future outcomes which your mind has associated with feelings of reward and satisfaction.
Check out this video on how to get a beautiful upper body. Post continues after clip.
Another way to bypass the mind-chatter is to simply put off any excuses as to why you can’t exercise till after you’ve actually done the exercise. Business Insider’s Libby Kane writes “You can decide whether you want to go afterward”.
She says it’s helpful to acknowledge there will always be reasons not to go to the gym, but just because there are reasons not to go, doesn’t mean they are necessarily good ones.
Go anyway, she says. You can have the back and forth after you’ve been about whether it was the right decision, and of course you’ll have done the workout, so it’s a debate you’re always going to win.
