This piece is must-reading for anyone who thinks they can't spare the time or the money to take care of his/her body
How many times have you looked in the mirror at that lumpen mass of lard draped over your beltline, or perhaps instead, at those stemware-fragile arms and legs and thought, "That's it, even I can't tolerate looking at myself like this anymore, I'm gonna do something"?
If you were like many people, maybe you felt compelled to investigate some gyms, or buy some doodad or another off of the early-morning info-mercials. But a week later you were back to doing… absolutely nothing. If you were in the semi-elite, and managed to get past that aforementioned common pitfall, you may have actually joined the gym, or gotten that doodad out of its cardboard mailing box and used them for a month, maybe even two.
And quite possibly, you enjoyed those couple months of getting your body into a semblance of being in shape, despite the pain and soreness; perhaps you even saw dramatic-enough results to suggest you might reach your goal, if only you had the patience and discipline to stick with it. But maybe, maybe after two months your circumstances changed in some significant way: You got out of school and had no place to work out; school started back up and you no longer have time; You got a promotion or a new job and the hours are too demanding; You lost your job, and can't afford a gym membership; you have no one to babysit the kids while you work out. You can find a babysitter but you're too exhausted after your job to do anything but lie on the couch and veg out.
I'm sure none of those sound familiar to you. But if they do, don't feel too bad, because I've heard and used just about every lame excuse for not exercising there is. Unlike most people, I've figured out how to zap the excuses, and now I'd like to pass along the secret to you.
We often cite lack of time, money or some combination thereof, as reasons why we can't use our bodies the way nature intended. But what you must ask yourself is, can you really afford not to exercise? I mean, you're going to pay now, and endure a little sweat and enjoy a nice endorphin rush during and immediately after your workout; the payoff is a longer, more rewarding life with less time in the hospital or doc's office. Or, you can get wrapped up in your busy-ness now, let your physical aspect slide into disrepair and pay the price in medical bills, lost productivity and a general diminishment of your quality of life.
Which sounds better?
Here are a few of my self-motivational techniques:
Use images to your advantage: cut out from magazines or print off the Web photos of people with the body you want to have. Stick them on a poster, your bathroom mirror, the fridge; if anyone asks about them, simply tell them what you're up to. The power of visualization, aided by such visual aids, is time-proven. Listen to motivational CDs, downloads, etc. Most of us spend so much time getting to where we're going - work, the grocery store, etc. - why not use that travel time as training time? Motivational CDs will give you more mental tools to become successful in the workout arena and at life in general. So maybe you'll miss out on some juvenile radio banter, or a few talent-devoid songs that sound much like the ones played before them. Do you want to be passively entertained or do you want to actively invest in your greatest asset - you? Understand, grasp and love the idea that true and lasting change comes gradually. People witness the mastery of a Tiger Woods or the wealth of a Bill Gates or anyone else who's succeeded wildly and think, "wow, they did that so easily." What we don't see is the day-in, day-out grind of practicing, researching, studying, enduring rejection and other non-glamorous steps that invariably lie along the path to greatness -- both for these luminaries and for lesser-known stars. You can be a master craftsman of your own body, if you're willing to give it a little time, every other day, for a couple years. After that, it will have become such an ingrained habit, you'll make excuses to work out and skip other stuff, rather than vice versa.You could probably sit down right now and brainstorm for 15 minutes several unique ways to get motivated that work specifically for you - maybe you have a wedding to attend in several months, or maybe there's a pool near you and you want to wow everyone sunning themselves on the deck as you walk by. Maybe you just want the everyday self-assurance that comes from knowing inside, "Damn, I look good." Whatever gets you fired up, find it and focus on it. Daily. The key to this whole game is consistency. Sticking with it day-in and day-out. And if you mess up, fall off the wagon temporarily, dust yourself off and jump back on! Where you are today is the result of your past decisions. So decide and act on getting in shape today, so that you'll have the body of your dreams later - could be six months from now, it could be two years. But either way the time's going to pass, so you might as well go get what you want!
