The two biggest challenges to getting regular exercise are making the commitment to do so and then following through on that commitment. Master those two things and you are well on your way. But be careful. Your mind is fertile soil for thoughts that could easily derail your commitment to exercise.
At the Mcycle Studio in Salt Lake City, Utah, instructors emphasize the link between body and mind. They recognize the fact that it is nearly impossible to separate physical and mental health. The two are tied intrinsically together. By extension, how we think and feel about exercise impacts whether or not we actually engage in it.
If you have made a commitment to regular exercise, good for you. Mcycle instructors encourage you to be careful of the four thought patterns discussed below. Any one of them can derail you in short order.
1. I Can’t Afford It
It is fairly common to sign up for organized exercise classes only to drop them later due to budgetary constraints. And in fact, paying for classes you cannot truly afford isn’t a good idea anyway. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you can’t afford exercise. It’s not true.
You don’t have to take indoor cycling classes at the Mcycle studio. You don’t have to pay for a gym membership. You don’t even have to buy home gym equipment. You can exercise for free. Walking around the neighborhood doesn’t cost a dime. Neither do calisthenics, jogging, or riding that bike that has been collecting dust in the garage for years.
2. I’m Too Tired for Exercise
Exercise makes you tired. It’s supposed to. Knowing that, it is easy to find yourself in a position of thinking you are already too tired for your workout. Don’t fall for it. If you give into that thought too frequently, you may eventually find yourself permanently believing you don’t have the energy to exercise. You will blame it on your job or the kids. You’ll blame it on a hectic schedule. Either way, you will stop exercising altogether.
3. I Will Double up Tomorrow
It’s okay to miss a day of exercise now and again. Even the professionals have things come up from time to time. When something does come up, don’t attempt to assuage your guilt by promising to double up tomorrow. First of all, you probably won’t. Second, promising to double up one time makes it easier to do it a second time. Then you’ll do it a third time and a fourth, until you no longer exercise.
4. I Can Make It Up Some Other Way
A companion of the doubling up excuse is convincing yourself that you can make up for lack of exercise in some other way. For example, maybe your daily routine includes 30 minutes of indoor cycling. You don’t feel like doing it one particular morning, but that’s okay because you have the family picnic coming up that afternoon.
From your point of view, you will get plenty of exercise running around the softball diamond or chasing your nieces and nephews around. But what if that doesn’t happen? What if you end up finding a nice, comfortable chair and spending the entire afternoon talking?
Just in case you hadn’t noticed, all of these thought patterns have one thing in common: they give you reasons to avoid exercise. It doesn’t matter if your regular exercise is spinning, running, or swimming. Once your brain starts looking for reasons to avoid it, those reasons will offer themselves freely. Giving in is an open invitation to derailing you and your commitment.