The Right Way to Fail at Exercise
Did you know that most people fail at exercise? That isn't to say that we're doomed from the start, but that it's normal for many of us to abandon our fitness routines from time to time...sometimes for days and weeks, other times for months or years. The good news is that you're not alone and, even better, there's something you can do to make those fitness failures stepping stones to success. Your first step is figuring out what went wrong.
Why You Fail at Fitness
Planning your exercise schedule is great, isn't it? There's nothing like sitting down with your calendar and writing down all the workouts you'll do this week. Just thinking about it makes you feel good, doesn't it? But life has a way of getting in the way of those fitness goals. Maybe you have to work late or you catch a cold.
Maybe your child has soccer practice or you have unexpected guests. Whatever 'it' is, it will happen and, for many of us, that 'it' sends our exercise plans right out the window. You may recognize some of these other reasons you skip exercise:
1. Catching a cold, flu or other nasty bug
2. Pulled muscles, soreness or other injuries
3. Long work hours, busy schedules and social obligations
4. Life transitions like getting married, getting a new job, graduating or retiring
5. Having a baby
6. Feeling tired, low energy and not getting enough sleep
7. Burnout or overtraining
8. Boredom
9. Lack of results and confusion over how to reach goals
10. Travel
What's important to realize is this: you won't always be perfect at exercise and, even more important, you don't have to be. What you do want is to make your best effort and give yourself credit for what you achieve, even if it falls short of your original goal. To get yourself past those fitness failures, you have to stop the blame game and start taking some action. Join the Club!
Your first step in turning a failure around is to stop kicking yourself and realize you're not alone in this. We all skip workouts, eat more than we should and get off track from time to time. In fact, many of my successful personal training clients come to me in the middle of their own fitness failures, feeling guilty and frustrated.
Turn Your Failure Around
The truth is, you don't know whether something will work for you until you try it and that means risking failure. The good news is that, even if you do fail, you have just given yourself an opporunity to learn something about yourself as you find out where you went wrong and how you need to change what you're doing the next time around. These failures give you a chance to hone your technique, learn more about what you're trying to achieve and tweak your exercise routine until you get it right. You can't do that if you never try..
The problem is that we want to do everything right from the start, even if we've never done it before. But, you won't always get this exercise thing right the first time you try, so your only choice is to keep going despite your mistakes. If you find you've gotten out the habit of exercise, use these simple tips for getting back on track.
Get Back to Your Routine
No matter how long you've been away, your first step is to get back to some kind of exercise. Even the smallest exercise goal is a step in the right direction and can remind you of your commitment to getting healthy, losing weight, or whatever your goal might be. Start small and ease your way back into a regular routine, setting goals you know you can reach. Even if it's a 10-minute walk after dinner or before work, it's a signal to yourself that you want to stay active.
Be Prepared
Having everything you need to complete your workout is half the battle...getting started is often the hardest part of working out. If you have your clothes and gear ready to go, your workout planned, your bag packed and your snacks handy, you've taken away some of the reasons to skip your workout.
Be Flexible
Being prepared doesn't mean you'll never miss a workout.
But, you can increase your chances of getting some exercise in each day by being flexible. That means a willingness to change your plans as needed so that you can meet your other obligations while still moving your body. If you find you can't go to the gym because your boss asked you to work late, what could you do instead? Don't abandon exercise just because you can't get your planned workout in.
Stop Kicking Yourself
We all feel guilty when we mess up--skipping workouts, eating too much, etc. Guilt can be a great motivator, but it can also be a hindrance if you use it as an excuse to abandon your healthy lifestyle altogether. That 'why bother' attitude can keep you stuck in a self-defeating cycle so, instead of feeding on that guilt, use it to propel you forward. Realize that slipping back into old habits doesn't mean you're loser--we all need to go back to old behaviors to test them out, remember how it felt to be that sedentary person as opposed to the new, more active person we want to become.
Let Yourself Evolve
Don't be afraid to try a whole new approach to exercise. If you find yourself going back to old workouts again and again, even though they don't work in your current lifestyle, it's time to admit that workout program just doesn't work for you. Many of us approach exercise with ideas of what we should be doing rather than what we actually enjoy doing. Instead of forcing yourself into something you hate, why not allow yourself time to explore different options? Forget about what you should be doing, and find out what you want to be doing.
Forget Being Perfect
Making exercise a habit is a journey, not a destination. It's something you'll work on every day...some days you'll do everything right, other days you won't. Focus on what you can do today to reach your goals and stop reaching for perfection. You're human and are allowed to make mistakes.
The only difference between a person who fails at exercise and a person who succeeds comes down to never giving up. A successful exerciser isn't perfect but, rather, keeps trying despite mistakes and failures. The next time you slip up, skip the guilt and allow yourself to use that slip as a learning experience. Your mistakes have something to teach you, something that could be the key to your success.
For more articles and info go to: http://www.build-your-body.net
Thanks and God Bless!
Why You Fail at Fitness
Planning your exercise schedule is great, isn't it? There's nothing like sitting down with your calendar and writing down all the workouts you'll do this week. Just thinking about it makes you feel good, doesn't it? But life has a way of getting in the way of those fitness goals. Maybe you have to work late or you catch a cold.
Maybe your child has soccer practice or you have unexpected guests. Whatever 'it' is, it will happen and, for many of us, that 'it' sends our exercise plans right out the window. You may recognize some of these other reasons you skip exercise:
1. Catching a cold, flu or other nasty bug
2. Pulled muscles, soreness or other injuries
3. Long work hours, busy schedules and social obligations
4. Life transitions like getting married, getting a new job, graduating or retiring
5. Having a baby
6. Feeling tired, low energy and not getting enough sleep
7. Burnout or overtraining
8. Boredom
9. Lack of results and confusion over how to reach goals
10. Travel
What's important to realize is this: you won't always be perfect at exercise and, even more important, you don't have to be. What you do want is to make your best effort and give yourself credit for what you achieve, even if it falls short of your original goal. To get yourself past those fitness failures, you have to stop the blame game and start taking some action. Join the Club!
Your first step in turning a failure around is to stop kicking yourself and realize you're not alone in this. We all skip workouts, eat more than we should and get off track from time to time. In fact, many of my successful personal training clients come to me in the middle of their own fitness failures, feeling guilty and frustrated.
Turn Your Failure Around
The truth is, you don't know whether something will work for you until you try it and that means risking failure. The good news is that, even if you do fail, you have just given yourself an opporunity to learn something about yourself as you find out where you went wrong and how you need to change what you're doing the next time around. These failures give you a chance to hone your technique, learn more about what you're trying to achieve and tweak your exercise routine until you get it right. You can't do that if you never try..
The problem is that we want to do everything right from the start, even if we've never done it before. But, you won't always get this exercise thing right the first time you try, so your only choice is to keep going despite your mistakes. If you find you've gotten out the habit of exercise, use these simple tips for getting back on track.
Get Back to Your Routine
No matter how long you've been away, your first step is to get back to some kind of exercise. Even the smallest exercise goal is a step in the right direction and can remind you of your commitment to getting healthy, losing weight, or whatever your goal might be. Start small and ease your way back into a regular routine, setting goals you know you can reach. Even if it's a 10-minute walk after dinner or before work, it's a signal to yourself that you want to stay active.
Be Prepared
Having everything you need to complete your workout is half the battle...getting started is often the hardest part of working out. If you have your clothes and gear ready to go, your workout planned, your bag packed and your snacks handy, you've taken away some of the reasons to skip your workout.
Be Flexible
Being prepared doesn't mean you'll never miss a workout.
But, you can increase your chances of getting some exercise in each day by being flexible. That means a willingness to change your plans as needed so that you can meet your other obligations while still moving your body. If you find you can't go to the gym because your boss asked you to work late, what could you do instead? Don't abandon exercise just because you can't get your planned workout in.
Stop Kicking Yourself
We all feel guilty when we mess up--skipping workouts, eating too much, etc. Guilt can be a great motivator, but it can also be a hindrance if you use it as an excuse to abandon your healthy lifestyle altogether. That 'why bother' attitude can keep you stuck in a self-defeating cycle so, instead of feeding on that guilt, use it to propel you forward. Realize that slipping back into old habits doesn't mean you're loser--we all need to go back to old behaviors to test them out, remember how it felt to be that sedentary person as opposed to the new, more active person we want to become.
Let Yourself Evolve
Don't be afraid to try a whole new approach to exercise. If you find yourself going back to old workouts again and again, even though they don't work in your current lifestyle, it's time to admit that workout program just doesn't work for you. Many of us approach exercise with ideas of what we should be doing rather than what we actually enjoy doing. Instead of forcing yourself into something you hate, why not allow yourself time to explore different options? Forget about what you should be doing, and find out what you want to be doing.
Forget Being Perfect
Making exercise a habit is a journey, not a destination. It's something you'll work on every day...some days you'll do everything right, other days you won't. Focus on what you can do today to reach your goals and stop reaching for perfection. You're human and are allowed to make mistakes.
The only difference between a person who fails at exercise and a person who succeeds comes down to never giving up. A successful exerciser isn't perfect but, rather, keeps trying despite mistakes and failures. The next time you slip up, skip the guilt and allow yourself to use that slip as a learning experience. Your mistakes have something to teach you, something that could be the key to your success.
For more articles and info go to: http://www.build-your-body.net
Thanks and God Bless!
posted by Lee Harris @ 4:30 AM
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