Don’t cheat yourself! Here are 5 of my tips on how to avoid skipping your workouts!

BELOW this short video!!

So, on those days you feel like skipping what do YOU do to get you going? If I ever have one of THOSE days, I will look up motivation videos on youtube, look at before/afters and revisit my WHY. Then, if I still put it off, I just get up and do it. The more you think about exercise and put it off, the harder it is to do it. Nike had something when they said “Just Do It!!” It’s so true. If you do, you will NEVER regret the workout. Your body and your mind will thank you! It’s the time where I clear my mind and make plans. I’m also really creative when I workout so when I’m done I feel refreshed and I write down my ideas!!

Clear your mind of can’t. -Samuel Johnson

If you are putting IT off (workouts, eating healthy, career, taking that step forward) you definitely aren’t the only one! As I mentioned in the video I too have those days. We ALL do. It’s just a matter of deciding that you are WORTH it and it’s time to get up and get moving. I know it’s so daunting to think of the amount of work you may have to do but what are you gaining by NOT doing it? Fear is what stops you… courages is what keeps you going and many times, it’s FEAR that holds us back from things. 

Here are some tips on keeping motivated or getting motivated in the first place. 5 tips on how to avoid skipping workouts! 

1. Cultivate a WINNING attitude by focusing on those times you WERE successful! Many people think they cannot change and their inner dialogue that sounds like this “I can’t” “I’m not good enough” “I’ll never look like her/him”. Well, this is NOT true and it’s time to STOP. That is a negative attitude and YOU CAN DO ANYTHING you put your mind to. Sometimes a negative thinker looks to someone who has been successful and says “They are lucky” but it’s not LUCK. It’s determination and consistency.  

Try focusing on a time you were successful at something. Remember those feelings of self satisfaction, self worth and pride. Draw           on that experience and use it to drive yourself to success in other areas of your life. What did you see and feel? How did you talk to yourself? Focus on that to fuel you forward. 

It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not. -Anonymous

2. Replace unrealistic images with achievable goals. You want to be the best possible YOU! If you are looking at all those photoshopped images in magazines you aren’t helping yourself. Remember, it won’t happen over night and also, images aren’t always what they seem! Some think that they are going to do that and it will quickly but it’s won’t. You have to be realistic about what it takes to get in shape. Working out is, well, work. And you have to do it over many months, not weeks.

Make small attainable goals. Set 1 week and 1 month goals. Maybe a one week goal list will be: “I will exercise every day, I will eat healthy 80-85% of the time, I will prep all my foods for the week on Sunday, I will revisit my WHY every day, I will speak positively to myself”. Simple right? Baby steps. You can have a one month goal too….something like this “I will lose 5 lbs in 30 days and keep it off, I will fit into a new pair of jeans or dress” etc. Here is a GREAT ARTICLE I wrote about motivation a little more in depth.

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. -Mark Twain

3. Know your WHY.  You HAVE to know your WHY. You will not succeed unless you know this. Life gets busy, things happen and sometimes it gets easier and easier to skip workouts and eating clean. Unless you re-visit WHY you are doing this in the first place, it’s easy to give in to excuses and in turn you are setting yourself up to fail. As much as working out and eating right are physical things you are doing, this really comes down to your mindset. Many of us #1 don’t know HOW to be healthy or 2. are emotional eaters (especially women).

So, I ask ALL challengers to write their why before they start. Sit down and ask yourself WHY do you want to get in shape? How will it make you feel? What will you be able to accomplish if you DO start? How will you feel fitting into those jeans you want to fit into or walking up that hill you couldn’t before or not being winded walking up stairs or keeping up with your kids??? And what will the repercussions be if you don’t? What will it cost you physically and financially if you don’t start taking care of your health now? What will your medical bills be? What medications will you have to take? Your cholesterol  meds? BP meds? Insulin usage? What kind of example will you be setting to your family?

Exercise like you have T-Rex chasing you!!!

If you are  having a hard time putting your WHY into words try this:
-take out a sheet of paper and write at the top “Why do I want to be healthier and lose weight?”
-write an answer, any answer that comes to you first 
-Repeat to step 3 until the answer makes you cry. That is your WHY.

Powerful right. Your why should make you cry.  Your why drives the passion, the soul and the purpose in your heart. When things get tough, you need to know your why and even revisit it daily to keep you going!

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. -Mahatma Gandhi 

4. Determine and choose the workout that is best for you. If it’s not fun for you, you won’t do it!! Find what is best for YOU! Experiment!  If you want to become stronger and trimmer, you should combine a cardiovascular routine, such as jogging, cycling or swimming, with targeted weight training. If it’s uncomfortable, don’t do it. Find something that appeals to you – there are lots of options out there. I love low impact workouts and I LOVE working out at home. I never enjoyed going to the gym so I’m either doing a workout DVD or I’m outside doing an activity!

5. Find a partner! With a partner you’ll have two people’s energy to get you going. Look for a workout partner who has goals that are similar to yours. You need to have positive supportive people in your life. People that lift you up, not tear you down. People that believe in your goals and dreams. Some of you do NOT have this at home so finding a group/partner/coach is imperative in your success. It doesn’t matter how much weight we have to lose or not lose, we are all human and we all matter and we are all in this together. We are all on our own journey to live healthier lives and to set examples to our families and friends. We all battle stress, time restraints and the ease of living unhealthy.

I hope these tips on how to avoid skipping workouts helped. Do you need help with any of these? I’d love to be your free coach! I can help you discover your why, be your accountability partner and find the workout that YOU will enjoy most!! I also have private challenge groups monthly that will help give you a TEAM of positivity and support!!! Click the link below and I’ll send you an email so I can get to know you!!

Gretchen Strait is a Beachbody Coach and is a self proclaimed former lazy person. During her 20′s she spent her time working on her career as a nurse, traveling the world, and enjoying long dinners and bottles of wine with friends.

Now, at 36, she is literally in the best shape of her life and spends her days helping others throughout all phases of their fitness journeys. After having her daughter at age 35 by c-section, and being diagnosed with hypothyroidism, she discovered P90X and ChaLean Extreme and dedicated herself to NOT fit the frumpy mommy mold.

Now, paying it forward she started her own business and is committed to helping other busy moms discover their inner beauty and confidence. She is devoted to giving all moms HOPE that they too, can look and feel amazing, no matter what their schedule is like.

Gretchen founded gretchenstrait.com in order to reach out and support to those that aren’t satisfied with their current situation whether physically, emotionally, financially, or nutritionally. She is here to help you see results!!