You know what you need to do. You keep thinking about going to the gym or lifting weights or just something.
And yet, the La-Z-Boy is calling your name as if it’s saying you need a hug. And the news, tv shows, video games, THE big game, and virtually everything else just seems more enticing than packing it up and dragging your overworked butt to the gym.
When you have a million other things floating around in your head, it’s so easy to start finding “good” reasons to skip working out. The only problem is none of the reasons are truly good. Perhaps they’re good at helping you play hooky, but they aren’t genuine.
So what now? Take the day off and plan to go “next time?” It turns out next time is someday’s less obvious and more nefarious sibling, and they’re just the same – they never come.
Just Do It
The single most important trick to getting to the gym is super simple. Just do it. (That has to go down in the Hall of Fame for Best Taglines)
Jokes aside, going to the gym, working out, getting in shape, making huge gains or dropping weight all start with a choice to move forward. Part of making that choice is deciding to just do it, even when you don’t feel like it. You won’t believe how far a “no excuses, no exceptions” agreement with yourself will take you.
As masochistic as it may sound, it actually becomes self-perpetuating and shockingly easy over time. The crazy thing about working out is that it makes you feel good. You rarely hear people lament just sucking it up and hitting the bench, but you do hear people say they’re glad they just decided to show up because they feel so much better.
One Step at a Time
When you’re still stuck in the La-Z-Boy mindset, your brain will turn working out into this huge, unmanageable thing with 1000 things that you have to do. Quit it. Seriously, just stop. Focus on taking one action at a time and stop getting overwhelmed with the steps.
It’s like moving a pile of rocks; if you try to push the whole pile all at once, you won’t get anywhere, and nothing will happen. But, if you move one rock, and then another, and then another, before you know it, you’ll be done and looking for more rocks to move. Breaking it down to completing each simple task, one at a time, will get the ball rolling.
It gets Easier
The best part is how momentum makes motivation easier. When you take action, it will feel good, When you feel good, you’ll have the motivation to take action again. Before you know it, motivation is no longer the hard part, and you’ll have a new hard part to conquer.
Finding the right place to work out can also play a role in taking action. That’s why Extreme Studio Performance works so hard to provide the most conducive workout environment possible. Nice, clean locker rooms, tons of well-maintained and cleaned equipment, epic music, and bright lighting all make the ESP facilities a welcoming place to get your sweat on.
The bottom line is simple; if you need the motivation to move, stop looking for reasons, and just take action, even if you don’t feel like it. You can 100% bet that by the end, you’ll be glad you did and a little more motivated for the next time.