Getting Fit: Don’t talk yourself out of exercising
Do you ever talk yourself out of exercising?
Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I’m too tired,” “I’m too busy” or “I’ll do it tomorrow?”
If you tend to make excuses for skipping exercise, you can learn to overcome that little voice in your head that gets in the way of your commitment to take care of yourself.
As you grow older you form certain patterns of thinking. Just as you develop lifestyle habits, such as brushing your teeth. You can examine these thoughts by listening to your self-talk, which is the way we talk to ourselves inside our minds.
For most people, self-talk includes not just talk, but also phrases, pictures, images, bits of songs and even complete sentences. It sometimes sounds like this, “I can’t believe it’s Thursday already” “That chocolate ?clair looks good,” Wow! I sure am fat” Most of our self-talk is not harmful. But some thoughts can be destructive when they reinforce negative beliefs.
To uncover negative self-talk in the exercise department, simply observe your thoughts for a week or two, and write down any thoughts that try to talk you out of exercising. Then take a look at your list. Which of these statements cause problems that need to be corrected. Find out which of these problem areas tend to be “excuses?” Is there a pattern? What are the common themes? Do certain phrases appear over and over?
Talk back: To begin talking back to your negative self you must first take a look at what is causing the negative self-talk in the first place. Once you examine these beliefs, you can form more positive and realistic self-talk that sounds convincing.
While many people know on one level that they need regular exercise to stay healthy. In reality there are many other beliefs that conflict with your desire to stick to a program of regular physical activity. For example, some people may have been told as a child that sports were a waste of time. Some of these really lazy groups are indeed perfectionists, and subconsciously believe that if they can’t do something perfectly like exercise every single day, then it’s better to not do it at all. Many working parents may believe it is wrong or selfish to take time out for themselves. Some people worry that they look silly in exercise clothes, or that exercise is not appropriate for someone their age.
Arm yourself with a new self-talk to counteract those self defeating thoughts that might pop into your mind just as you are preparing to enjoy your exercise session. If you hear yourself thinking, I’m too busy to exercise today. I’ll do it tomorrow. Argue back with yourself and make yourself believe that you will always be busy, and tomorrow won’t be much different. Take your lunch hour and get to the gym. The exercise will give you energy and help you get more work done in the afternoon.
Don’t tell yourself that exercise is a waste of time. Try reprogramming your brain that you need regular exercise to stay healthy and manage stress. Its more important to management your health so that you can do your work and take care of your family.
Let’s recap: One of the main reasons you should get involved in exercise is to insure that your body is in the healthiest condition as possible. Get rid of those evil thoughts that turn you into a lazy slob. Find a motivator that creates that deep desire to improve your health and then you will find the motivation to stick with it.
Of course my main reason is to stay in shape is to attract the opposite sex, but then what man would argue with that?