Lately it seems everything is against me getting in a good workout 4-5 days a week. It’s very frustrating. However, it’s important my mental (and obviously physical) health to maintain a relatively normal workout schedule so… I must overcome obstacles. Here are some of the obstacles I have dealt with lately:
Time
I doubt there is anyone out there who doesn’t struggle with the “time to workout” issue at some point in life. It’s not that I really have NO spare time, because that’s not true. But a lot of my spare time tends to be at night, when I don’t have much energy to get in a good workout. For some reason, I mostly subscribe to the belief that once I eat dinner, I’m probably not going to get a work out in after. It seems obvious that I should then work out in the morning before I start my day. I have definitely gone through phases of doing that, but right now I can’t seem to do that either. You see, I am most productive in the morning with everything. This means there is a lot demanding my time in the early morning. I tutor a child 2 days a week early in the morning, and the other three days I get to work as early as possible so I can get a lot done. I could potentially wake up even earlier so that I can workout and get work done in the morning, but I already go to bed by 9:30 every night and I’d really rather it not be earlier than that. Losing sleep is not an option for me either.
Sickness
I don’t know if it’s because I work with children or what, but I’m either sick or fighting sickness the majority of the winter. I am pretty good at letting this be an excuse for not working out, which it simply cannot be for the amount of the time that I feel not 100%.
Injury
If you read this blog you know that injury has interrupted my work outs more than once. This is probably my most frustrating obstacle.
Motivation
Then there are those days where none of the above excuses are relevant and yet…. you just don’t wanna.
How I Beat My Own Excuses
1. I schedule my workout in my calendar. Although afternoons are not as productive for me, they do tend to fill up quickly with obligations (part of the reason why the mornings are more productive for me at work). If I schedule an afternoon work out in my calendar, I’m more likely to do it.
2. I schedule a work out date with Eric, or a friend. Then I’m more likely to do it.
3. I agree to do something quick. If I tell myself I will only do a yoga video for 20 minutes, I’m more likely to do it. And something is better than nothing.
4. I put on my work out clothes. Sometimes if i really don’t want to work out I’ll tell myself I’m just going to put on the clothes. But once I do, I’ll probably at least do something!
5. If I’m sick or injured, I will often change my work out plan and expect less of myself, but not skip the work out completely. There are times when rest is the only option, but for the majority of the winter- it can’t be! Walks and quick yoga videos are my go-to exercises when I don’t REALLY feel like exercising.
6. Sign up for a race or challenge. When I couldn’t run, I did an Elliptical Challenge and a Bike Challenge to try to motivate myself. Lately I’ve been signing up for races and I will be doing a 5K the next two weekends, which I really hope I’m ready for! I’d like to do a Yoga Challenge at some point, but my studio only does 30 day-in-a-row ones, which I’ve pretty much decided I’m never going to do. I need a little more flexibility in my challenges.
The past few weeks my motivation and time have been lacking, but I’ve been pretty good about fitting things in. The other day I go home from work and I was starving. But I decided instead of skipping my work out, I would bring my yoga mat downstairs and do a quick yoga video while my dinner was cooking. Sure, I didn’t really get in the zen mode while I was listening for my water to boil in the next room, but at least I did something!
What workout obstacles do you most suffer from and how to do you overcome these obstacles?
