When Good Intentions Stop Being Enough

I thought for my very first post, since I have been out with a bad case of bronchitis all week, it would be very fitting to talk about obstacles!! We all have obstacles that get in the way of our fitness, or our good intentions.

There are so many reasons why we fall off the wagon: too tired, too busy, its to hard, time with family, need to get more done at work, or a sickness, illness, or some other major setback.  When most of us imagine how many times we will excercise in a week or month, we think of an "ideal world" situation.  You MUST factor in sick kids, late or last minute meetings at work, pain or injury flare ups, and daily stress. And these situations lead to the common pitfall of saying "It will be much easier to excercise next week" or "this week was insane".   

This is life!  No, next week wont be easier!  And yes next week will probably be just as insane as this week! There will never be a perfect time for fitness!  When you make fitness a part of your life, when you truly make the total mental change, these obstacles WILL occur.  We all will have them, even myself! So, what do we do about it? How do we stick with it and get back on track?

You must identify what got, or what keeps getting in your way!  For example, if you are tired after a long day at work and burnt out with exhaustion---try excercising in the morning or at lunch to rev up your energy.  Do something about it! If an unexpected obstacle pops up---you must be flexible to fit in your fitness somewhere in your day. And you do have time, you have 20 minutes somewhere.  Anticipating the remorse you will feel later, the regret of skipping the workout also works.   Think about how you will feel tommorow about the decision to skip the workout.

If you arent sure about what your fitness intentions are or exactly what keeps getting in your way, answer these questions: ( AND YES I REALLY WANT YOU TO WRITE THIS DOWN AND LOOK AT THE REALITY OF IT)

1. What is your most important excercise goal?
(yes, I still mean it-- I actually want you to do this, im not typing this for fun and fluff)

2. What would be the positive outcome of meeting this goal?

3. What is your biggest obstacle?

Now that you have identified the obstacle(s):

1. When and where is the obstacle most likely to occur?
2. What could/can I do to prevent it from occuring?
3. What specific thing will I do to help get back to excercise when this happens?



Once you see this on paper-----keep it at your desk, on your fridge, in your car---wherever it is you spend the most time.  Seeing this will be a daily reminder of your commitiment, your inentions.  BUT REMEMBER INTENTIONS ARENT ENOUGH!! You need to be prepared for those obstacle, because they will happen.

There is just one difference between you and the person next to you that seems so fit and committed, because you both are just as busy and have the same intentions!  The difference is that fit person knows about obstacles and makes a daily commitment to overcome them and get back on track! 

NOW JUST DO IT!  NEVER STOP TRAINING!