What it comes down to for me is that I don't allow skipping my workout to be an option.
Think about it: You would never say you're too tired to care for your children, right? You are committed to doing it, and you do it every day, without question and without fail. Some days, it's not easy. But you do it anyway.
It's really the same thing with regard to self-care through exercise: I don't give myself a choice. I set my life up so that my commitment is built-in. I know that in order for me to feel my best, I have to follow certain nutrition guidelines, and I have to work out every day. So I do exactly what you suggest: I put my clothes out the night before, I get into bed at a decent hour, and as soon as the alarm goes off, I take off my pajamas and put my workout gear on. Some mornings, if I even brushed my teeth first, I would talk myself into going back to bed. But once I have the clothes on, I am halfway there.
These days, I work out at the gym, and then shower there and go directly to work. So, I put my gym bag and my work clothes IN THE CAR the night before. When I do things like that I am pre-disposing myself to the choice I know I WANT to make so that even when I don't FEEL like making it, it's a lot more difficult to back out.
Same thing with my nutrition. I make my meals up ahead of time, preparing enough tuna salad, etc. for a few days worth of lunches, and then leaving that in the fridge at work. Toss in a bag of apples and a box of whole grain crackers, and I'm all set up to eat right. (Choosing what to eat while you're feeling hungry is never a good idea. Decide ahead of time what choice you WANT to make, and then prepare that, and put it in the fridge, front and center.)
Anticipate what you want to do each day, and then as much as you can, set everything up ahead of time. Don't attempt to choose whether or not to work out after the alarm goes off. We will always choose to go back to sleep. Make your choices while you're sitting here thinking about what you'd like to accomplish. Do you want to work out every day? Three times a week? Do you want to eliminate sweets from your diet every day except for the weekends? Identify the behaviors that will get you to your goal, and then look for ways to set your life up to support and encourage those behaviors.
What do you have to do to eliminate the options you've already decided you don't want to have? For instance, if you want to abstain from sweets during the week, don't buy any at the store, and then buy enough on Saturday just to enjoy over the weekend. (I'm a big proponent of buying one brownie from the bakery even though it costs about the same as an entire box of brownie mix.) Many women argue that they buy sweets to have in the house for their kids or their husband, but how about if the whole family cuts back?
If you think critically about what you want to accomplish based on your goals, you will be able to identify ways in which you can set yourself up for success.
I know having energy is a real concern, but the more you workout, the more energy you will have. Once exercise is a longer term habit, you will likely find that it is easier to meet the demands of each day, not more difficult. The key there becomes to get to make sure you get to bed at a decent hour if you can, and to support your workouts with proper nutrition. Making sure you get enough of the right kinds of foods is critical to reaching new energy levels.
To be honest with you, some days, I am not that motivated. But because I have already eliminated the choice to skip my workout, it doesn't matter. Commitment trumps motivation. There are definitely some days when I am none too thrilled about trekking out to the car at 4:30 am - especially in the winter when the snow can be a couple of feet deep and I have to drag my gear behind me in a sled. But again, by eliminating the choice to skip, I don't have to WANT it or feel happy about it because I've already decided it's what's best for me. So I just do it.
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Alison:
What it comes down to for me is that I don't allow skipping my workout to be an option.
Think about it: You would never say you're too tired to care for your children, right? You are committed to doing it, and you do it every day, without question and without fail. Some days, it's not easy. But you do it anyway.
It's really the same thing with regard to self-care through exercise: I don't give myself a choice. I set my life up so that my commitment is built-in. I know that in order for me to feel my best, I have to follow certain nutrition guidelines, and I have to work out every day. So I do exactly what you suggest: I put my clothes out the night before, I get into bed at a decent hour, and as soon as the alarm goes off, I take off my pajamas and put my workout gear on. Some mornings, if I even brushed my teeth first, I would talk myself into going back to bed. But once I have the clothes on, I am halfway there.
These days, I work out at the gym, and then shower there and go directly to work. So, I put my gym bag and my work clothes IN THE CAR the night before. When I do things like that I am pre-disposing myself to the choice I know I WANT to make so that even when I don't FEEL like making it, it's a lot more difficult to back out.
Same thing with my nutrition. I make my meals up ahead of time, preparing enough tuna salad, etc. for a few days worth of lunches, and then leaving that in the fridge at work. Toss in a bag of apples and a box of whole grain crackers, and I'm all set up to eat right. (Choosing what to eat while you're feeling hungry is never a good idea. Decide ahead of time what choice you WANT to make, and then prepare that, and put it in the fridge, front and center.)
Anticipate what you want to do each day, and then as much as you can, set everything up ahead of time. Don't attempt to choose whether or not to work out after the alarm goes off. We will always choose to go back to sleep. Make your choices while you're sitting here thinking about what you'd like to accomplish. Do you want to work out every day? Three times a week? Do you want to eliminate sweets from your diet every day except for the weekends? Identify the behaviors that will get you to your goal, and then look for ways to set your life up to support and encourage those behaviors.
What do you have to do to eliminate the options you've already decided you don't want to have? For instance, if you want to abstain from sweets during the week, don't buy any at the store, and then buy enough on Saturday just to enjoy over the weekend. (I'm a big proponent of buying one brownie from the bakery even though it costs about the same as an entire box of brownie mix.) Many women argue that they buy sweets to have in the house for their kids or their husband, but how about if the whole family cuts back?
If you think critically about what you want to accomplish based on your goals, you will be able to identify ways in which you can set yourself up for success.
I know having energy is a real concern, but the more you workout, the more energy you will have. Once exercise is a longer term habit, you will likely find that it is easier to meet the demands of each day, not more difficult. The key there becomes to get to make sure you get to bed at a decent hour if you can, and to support your workouts with proper nutrition. Making sure you get enough of the right kinds of foods is critical to reaching new energy levels.
To be honest with you, some days, I am not that motivated. But because I have already eliminated the choice to skip my workout, it doesn't matter. Commitment trumps motivation. There are definitely some days when I am none too thrilled about trekking out to the car at 4:30 am - especially in the winter when the snow can be a couple of feet deep and I have to drag my gear behind me in a sled. But again, by eliminating the choice to skip, I don't have to WANT it or feel happy about it because I've already decided it's what's best for me. So I just do it.
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June 1, 2008 - 9:27amThe Power to Build your Ideal Body
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