This was the question I responded to a few days ago.
I had just finished my workout, and was getting my coat on when a woman who I see frequently at the gym, says to me “Do you ever feel like NOT exercising?” Of course I was honest so I said “sure.” And she then asked me, “so what do you do?” And, I said “I exercise anyway.”
We chatted for a few more minutes because she wanted to know how I made myself do this and what I did about it, and so I thought I’d just share it with you in case you ever wake up in the morning and just don’t feel like going. Here are my key points that keep me exercising on days I don’t feel like it:
1. I know that regardless of how much I don’t want to do it, by the time I am done, I will feel physically better than when I started, and I’ll feel mentally great that I did it anyway.
2. If I give in and DON’T do it, I’ll think about it and feel bad about it all day, AND I won’t get the benefit of number 1…so it is incredibly self-defeating on many levels to not do it. I learned this from experience as I am sure you have experienced this too….I have to tell you, I don’t consider myself above average intelligence wise, but I only needed to experience that feeling a few times to learn this lesson….so I haven’t had this experience in many years.
3. Any priority in life will involve times when you don’t want to do it. Think of your children…how often do you do something related to them when you don’t feel like it? How about your job…you go to work when you don’t feel like it don’t you? Exercise and good health is a priority…You DO priorities whether you feel like it or not…or the price you will pay is incalculable and one you will wish you didn’t have to pay….but you would pay the price whether you felt like it or not.
The cool thing is that the adoption of this mentality and the furtherance of the habit make it such that in time you never consider not exercising…you just do it.
