5 Reasons Why You Might Be Procrastinating When It Comes to Exercise [Part I]

We don’t mean to procrastinate on things we know are good for us, like exercise, yet we do it anyway.

But why?

There are several reasons I’ve come across (and honestly, some I’ve used myself at times), but there are 5 that appear the most often in my work coaching women in midlife.

Exercise is one of those things that we don’t necessarily feel like doing all the time, because it’s hard, it hurts, and it takes time, but as you’ve probably experienced, you just feel so good afterwards.

So again, why’s it so hard to make this a habit and stick to something that you know is so good for you?

If you’re struggling with this question, I hope to shed some light on why you might be procrastinating and what you can do about it.

In no particular order, here are the 5 Reasons Why You Might Be Procrastinating When It Comes to Exercise [Part I].

(Read Part II here.)

Procrastination Reason #1: You’re asking the wrong questions

When it comes to exercise, it’s tempting to get caught up in the details:

“What kind of exercise is best?”
“How long should I be doing cardio?”
“How hard should I push myself in my workouts?”
“In a given week, how many times should I be doing cardio and lifting weights?”
“How many calories should I aim to burn in one session?”
“What should my heart rate be and for how long should I try to keep it there?”

I love discussing the questions above and happily do with a regular exerciser.

However, while the intention is great, the focus isn’t in the right place if you’re not in the habit of regular physical activity yet.

If you’re still forming the habit of exercising on a regular basis, not having the perfect answer to the questions above is only going to keep you at a standstill.

So if those are the wrong questions, what are the right ones?

Well, I believe there’s really only one right question you should be asking in the beginning:

“When’s the soonest I can do something?”

Notice three important words above: “when,” “soonest,” and “something.”

This means you don’t overthink it; instead you get started ASAP and you do something, anything.

This could be a walk around the block after dinner, going up and down the stairs a few times, or finding a workout video on YouTube you can do at home (a few of my clients like Yoga With Adriene).

When it comes to getting started, if you’ve found yourself getting caught up in the details of “what,” “when,” “how long,” etc., remember, those answers only apply AFTER you’ve begun to form the habit.

The details can be hashed out later – for now, don’t overthink it. Just do something.

Procrastination Reason #2: You’re making it a big production

When it comes to exercise, one of the principles I teach in my ReINVENT Your Health online course is “Don’t Make It a Big Production.”

I witness too many women “waiting to get ready to get started”:

“I need this kind of outfit.”
“I need these kind of shoes.”
“I need to get the right water bottle.”
“I need this amount of time.”
“I need the weather to warm up/cool down.”

All of these statements are irrelevant in the beginning.

You don’t need a new yoga outfit to try a class. Heck, you don’t even need to buy a mat – you can rent one at most studios.

The same is true for kickboxing gloves, the shoes you wear while taking a walk around the block, or the type of vessel you drink water out of, for example.

Counteracting this means becoming aware when you are tempted to procrastinate by coming up with why you don’t have the right “this or that.”

My clients have shared with me the times in their past when they spent hundreds of dollars buying the right outfit, shoes, socks, bra, etc. for a certain activity or class, only to find out that they didn’t even like it and decided not to go back.

Save your precious time, money, and energy by making do with what you have and focus on getting started instead.

If you end up enjoying regular hikes, yoga, kickboxing, Pilates, etc., then you can reward yourself with the right gear later.

The key here is to: “Get going. Then get ready.”

(Notice that it’s not: “Get ready. Then get going.”)

The theme today with these two procrastinations is BEGIN.

With this in mind, what small step can you take to get started TODAY or NOW?

Drop and give me 10!

Just kidding… Or am I?

Hey, I’ll take 1 if it’ll get you to do it.

Get started, THEN get ready.

You got this!

Stay tuned – next week I’ll be sharing Part II that will include the last 3 reasons why you might be procrastinating when it comes to exercise.

I’ll see you then!

In the meantime, if you need some help overcoming one (or both) of the reasons I shared above, I’m only an email away – I’d love to hear from you: kim@transformationwellnessforwomen.com

It’s Your Turn to Take Care of You,

Need Some Help?

Book a time to talk with me here.