Workout procrastination is best defined as failing to engage in your planned workout routine due to distraction, poor scheduling, or mental avoidance.
There are many reasons for why someone may procrastinate when it comes to working out.
Truth be told, working out isn’t always easy.
In fact, it’s not even always a fun thing to do.
A lot of people struggle with keeping up their workout routines.
But the simple fact of the matter is that you can overcome workout procrastination.
You just have to find a strategy that works for you.
Making sure to get a quality workout in every day is a key to becoming happier, healthier, and more satisfied with life.
And in this post, you’re going to learn 4 tips for dealing with workout procrastination to finally overcome it once and for all.
1. Make A Schedule
The very first step to avoiding workout procrastination is to make a plan.
This generally involves making some kind of schedule.
Plan out your workouts in advance so that you know exactly where to go and what to do.
2. Start Out Easy
If you try to plan workouts that are too intense, you may end up avoiding them because they’ll seem overwhelming.
The best way to combat this is to start out small, and plan short, brief, effective workouts that won’t overwhelm you or feel ‘impossible.’
Get used to showing up for those workouts consistently, and then gradually increase their intensity as you gain more motivation and confidence.
3. Workout With A Friend
When you agree to work out with a friend, you’re much less likely to skip out on it because of procrastination.
Friends can help to keep us accountable.
Working out with a friend can also engage a bit of competitiveness.
You won’t want to seem lazy in the eyes of your workout buddy, and that’ll fill you with determination to show up and perform well.
Without this accountability, it’s much easier to just skip the workout.
Working out with a friend, however, adds another layer of motivation to it.
When you know that your friend will know you’re skipping out, it becomes that much easier to go ahead with it and say ‘yes,’ even if you’re not feeling quite as up to it.
4. Plan Workouts That You Enjoy
It’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to plan workouts that you think will be maximally effective.
The only problem is that effective workouts aren’t always enjoyable workouts.
And these are the exact types of workouts that may cause you to procrastinate.
Instead of starting out with a workout that’s going to make you miserable, start out with an activity that maybe isn’t quite as efficient, but that’s a lot more enjoyable.
If you enjoy your workout activities, you’ll look forward to them instead of dreading them.
And this will make you much less likely to procrastinate.
5. Get Into The Habit
Building powerful life habits is one of the essential keys to developing a successful workout routine.
But in order to build habits, you have to show up every single day.
Commit to working out every day for the next 30 days, and see how much more comfortable you get with your routine.
If you can stick with something for 30 days, odds are good that it’s going to get much easier to stick with it long term—because at that point, it’ll actually become a habit.
6. Continue To Show Up Every Day
At the end of the day, consistency is the name of the game.
It’s better to show up for one small workout every single day, seven days a week, then to have one massive blowout workout one day a week, and then procrastinate the other six days.
Slow, steady, and consistent wins the race.
So continue to show up every day for your workouts, and you’ll beat procrastination long term to achieve the kind of health and wellness results you really want for yourself.
You’ve got this.
Now get out there and get to work.
