Life has a way of getting in the way and upending even our strongest commitments or habits. If you find that you’re talking yourself out of a workout more often than not, it may be time to implement a few mental tricks to ensure that you build consistency. No matter how hard or stressful your day might be, you can trick your mind into accomplishing almost anything. Before you waste another day letting the negative voice in your head talk you into crashing on the couch, try these mental hacks to get you workout done.
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Just change your clothes. If the idea of a group exercise class or a challenging workout seems like more than you can handle, tell yourself you just have to change your clothes. Once you’re dressed in your favorite FitClub workout gear, you’ll likely find that you’re more motivated to crush a workout. Once you’re dressed for your workout, skipping your workout now takes an additional step and becomes more difficult. You’re already dressed and suddenly you might find your mind is leaning towards a good sweat instead of a long nap.
Give yourself a choice. People are generally resistant to anything that they feel the “must” or “have” to do. Instead of skipping your workout because you feel like rebelling against what you know is good for you, phrase the question as a choice. You could head to FitClub, take a class that will improve your physical and mental health or you could go home and eat junk food. You always have a choice, but every choice has a consequence. Recognizing the choice and the resulting consequence are entirely up to you often helps overcome the tendency to see exercise as a punishment instead of the physical and mental reward that brings you closer to your goals.
Start small. Everyone has uttered the phrase, “I don’t have time to workout,” and it’s almost always a lie. Whatever time your schedule allows is enough time to workout, even if that workout is only fifteen minutes. Instead of waiting for the perfect day when you have hours available to workout, FitClub makes it easy to drop in on a convenient schedule, take a class over your lunch break, or fit in a HIIT workout on your way home from work. Finding time for working out gets exponentially easier if you plan ahead. Always having a bag with your workout clothes, shoes, and your fitness tech packed and ready to go makes it easy to pop into FitClub when you find even a small window of time.
The brain is just like any other muscle you tone. The more often you train it, the stronger it becomes and the more efficiently it works for you. Taking the time to train your brain will pay off the next time you think of skipping your workout.
What mental tricks do you use to get the job done?
