Are You a Master Procrastinator?

      Do you come up with almost any excuse you can to get out of exercising or starting a new weight loss routine? Do you hear yourself saying “I’ll start tomorrow, or next week, or even after the big party coming up?” Then you might be a master procrastinator, suffering from a major lack of motivation. Don’t feel too bad though because the number one diet or exercise routine killer for most people is lack of motivation, or “I’ll-Start-Tomorrow syndrome”. You know what they say about excuses though, everyone has one and they all stink (I cleaned that up a little for you all, lol).

Here is a list of 5 of the most ridiculous excuses for not exercising that I have actually heard…and admittedly may have even said once.

1.     I can't exercise until I lose weight so I look good in gym clothes:

Yeah, this one just doesn’t fly.

2.     I don't know how to exercise/use the gym equipment.

Ask someone at the gym, look it up on your smart phone, watch a YouTube video on it, or if all else fails, get on the treadmill…I’m pretty sure you know how to walk.

3.     Women saying, "I don't want big muscles."

But you want big thighs? Nope exercising and toning up is not going to turn you into Arnold in his Mr. Universe days, nice try get to work.

4.     Men saying, "I can drop weight whenever I want, I lose weight fast, I’ll do it later.

Yeah maybe that was true when you were 20, but that beer belly tells me that you have been living that dream for far too long. Stop kidding yourself, stop procrastinating and get to it.

5.     I don't want to mess my hair and makeup!

OK, I have actually said this, but I had just spent 3 hours getting my hair done. This is easily remedied by choosing non-sweat inducing exercises. i.e. yoga, stretching, walking, etc.

*Here is a fun link to a blog about diet and procrastination I came across called:  3 fat chicks on a diet

     Now that you have been properly “motivated” or guilted and shammed into actually working out, here are some very important tips to make sure that you are realistic in your expectations. Seriously if you expect to loose 30lbs in a month or have ripped abs in a couple weeks like the “average” people in the TV commercials, then you are going to be disappointed and give up quickly. Most of those people are actually professional fitness models and trainers who get paid to work out 3-4 hours a day to look like that. Many of those results were either photo-shopped, or certainly did not happen in a matter of a few short weeks (well maybe the photo altering did). Give yourself a chance to be successful by being realistic. Real fitness take time, dedication, and a ton of hard work, but you can absolutely achieve your goals, you just have to stay focused and motivated.

     So the first thing you must do in order to achieve any success is to set clear-cut goals and define a reasonable path to get there. I suggest using SMART goals.(specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely). Start by making your goals specific and measurable. Example:

            Wrong: lose weight

            Right: lose 5 pounds

    Then you need to make sure that you define a specific amount, so that you can measure your progress and success towards reaching your goal. Make sure that it is attainable and realistic.

            Wrong: lose 5 pounds in a day

            Right: lose 5 pounds in a month

     Finally, the kicker, make sure your goals are time-specific. They must be time-specific for both start and end times. This is where the master procrastinator in you needs a serious beat down. Don’t just say I will start tomorrow because you don’t want to start today. Pick a date, write it down, commit to it, and stick to it.

            Wrong: Starting tomorrow, I will lose 5 pounds

            Right: Between August 1^st and August 31^st, I will lose 5 pounds.

            Right (longer term): Between January 1^st and December 31^st, I will lose 30 pounds at            a rate of 2-3 pounds per month.

     Hold yourself accountable and reward yourself for actually starting on time, just don’t reward yourself with food!

*Here is a list of 50 great personal rewards for meeting your fitness and weight loss goals from Sparkle.com. A couple of my favorites include treating yourself by subscribing to a new fitness or healthy cooking magazine, Invest is a fitness tracker like a FitBit to motivate you even more, or hiring someone to clean your house so you have more time to hit the gym.

     So I hope that this post has given you some valuable tips to create realistic and attainable SMART goals that will motivate you and help you achieve success on your health and fitness journey. Just in case it hasn’t however, I have also included this link to the procrastination guide in the hopes of giving you tips to help you to waste your time more efficiently. Enjoy.

 Nutrition Evolution