Quieting the Voice That Tells You Not to Exercise

By Donna Stark

If you don't exercise regularly, your body can get flabby. Out of shape. Old before its time. But you already know that. After all, you hear it all the time from ... well, just about from everyone, don't you? But no matter how hard you try to convince yourself that tomorrow will be different, and that you will hop out of bed in the morning ready to exercise, you always seem to find a way to talk yourself out of it. Your body hears everything that your "little voice" says, and if that voice is telling you to skip your workouts more than it is telling you to go, you may need to change the topic of discussion. So how do you do that? You give it something exciting to talk about!

New Workouts to Get Excited Over

When confronted with new and exciting fitness activities, you will begin to feel prodded, provoked, stirred, and challenged. In fact, you may even find the stimulation that has been missing for months! So whether you are new to exercise, starting over after some time off, or completely bored with your routine as it is, take a look at the following suggestions.

Become an Early Bird

Forget the worm, because the early "fitness" bird actually gets something much cooler. People who work out first thing in the morning tend to find more success with their fitness goals than those who do not. So if you are having trouble following through with your afternoon or evening workouts, consider scheduling them earlier in the day.

Anti-Snooze Your Workouts

Instead of listening to your voice that tells you to hit the snooze button when your alarm goes off in the morning, trick it with a compromise. Get up out of bed and set a timer for 10 minutes. Tell the voice that if, after those 10 minutes are up, you still don't want to work out, you will stop. But don't worry! This works because in most cases, once you start, you won't want to quit.

Stop Going to the Gym

If all of your workouts occur at the same gym that you have been going to since high school, it might be good to change the scenery. Take your fitness routine outside and go for a run or bike ride, try a self-defense class, or join an outdoor boot camp. Sometimes, a different location is all that is needed to reinvigorate your motivation.

Take Care of Your Body

A lot of people consider their body a temple, when in fact, it is actually a home. It's something you are going to live in forever. So go ahead and get comfortable, but don't forget to take care of it in the process. Exercise daily and keep that voice in its place.

To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Killeen, Tex.