My Love-Hate Relationship

For me, working out is very psychological. Everything has to fall into place perfectly or I will end up talking myself out of completing the workout I had planned for that day, if not avoiding the workout entirely. Any level of excuse can be enough to cut my cardio short, skip one of the weight machines, or ignore that stop altogether on my way home. My ipod dies in the middle of my hour on the elliptical? Maybe 40 minutes is enough for today. Forgot my workout gloves? Perhaps I’ll just do ab exercises this time. Have to be somewhere at 6pm? Since it’s 4pm now that’s not nearly enough time to get in a decent workout and a shower – I’ll go tomorrow. I can be my own worst enemy when it comes to my fitness routine.

I have read enough articles in my exercise magazines to know that I am not alone in this. I always remember a print ad (it might have been for Reebok?) that showed a woman in her car at a stop sign watching runners pass her car with the tagline something like, “Why is everyone a runner on the days I skip my run?” I might not remember the exact advertisement, or even the product – but the message is clear in my mind: there is a lot of guilt out there related to not working out.

So what do we do about this? I have seen advice such as, “make your workout the first thing you do in your day” or, “schedule your gym time like you would a meeting.” My thought is this: you can read all the tips you want, but the bottom line is that you need to know yourself. You are the only one who will recognize those warning signs that can destroy the best of intentions and prohibit your from reaching your fitness goals. Personally, I know I need to make sure I have my workout essentials to keep my subconscious at bay. To do this I make a point to keep all my gym-necessities within easy reach of each other – and then keep them near my car keys so I don’t forget anything. This includes my gym ID, charged ipod, bpa-free water bottle (preferably stuffed with ice and water), a book/magazine for my cardio time, and a hand towel. I know myself enough to recognize that if any one of these things is missing, it might be enough to eat away at my conscience and talk me out of my workout plan.

So find out what it is that helps you have the perfect workout. Maybe it is a certain time of the day, a particular brand of workout clothes, or after eating a fresh piece of fruit. Just don’t let it be a certain type of weather – that we can’t control.

What keeps you on track with your workouts?