Last updated on March 26th, 2013 at 08:47 am
Do you delay your workout without even realizing it?
We spend our entire waking lives making decisions. The time we spend on everyday decisions, like whether we need to put coffee in the travel mug, or fill the gas tank on the way home are so minuscule that we don’t realize we are making them.
Bigger, life-changing decisions take longer and need more attention.
Fill your day with smaller time-wasting decision and the bigger decisions don’t get made. Eventually, you end up wondering what happened to your dream plans.
I do it too. What is my favorite time-wasting question?
Should I workout today?
Here’s how the workout debate starts in my mind: It’s too cold outside. I just need 30 more minutes of sleep. I left my running shoes in the car. This kind of thinking distracts me from making bigger, more life-changing decisions and pushes me away from the very dream I intend to complete. I become my own worst enemy.
You can stop making time-wasting decisions.
- Commit to your plan.
- Share that plan with people who will hold you accountable.
Since the beginning of the year, I have been fighting to keep on my regular workout schedule, but I’ve made the big commitment and told all of you dreamers out there that this is the year I will participate in a triathlon.
The thing about sharing big dreams, like training for a triathlon, is the sharing of it tends to keep you on track and committed to your dream. This doesn’t mean that common time-wasting delay tactics don’t creep into my mind on a daily basis, but my commitment ultimately wins the mental battle for me.
Some of my favorite time-wasting decision excuses are covered in the following flowchart.
Can you spot any of your favorite excuses here?
Should I Workout Today? infographic by Sparxoo.
Do something, do anything, and do it today
Remember that it’s up to you and you do have control over the workout decisions you make every single day.
Small workout commitments can really add up. You can walk to your lunch plans, take the stairs, and park as far as you can from the entrances to shopping malls and supermarkets.
Do you plan on working out today, or are you going to allow your excuses to talk you out of it?
Go get your fit on – Heather

Heather Montgomery is a fitness writer, triathlete, and serial entrepreneur who is devoted to sharing what she has learned about becoming a triathlete after age 40. She uses her Metabolic Training Certification to help other women struggling to get fit in mid-life. She lives and trains in Santa Rosa, California, the new home of the Ironman triathlon. You can find her biking the Sonoma County wine trails.
Note: Articles by Heather may contain affiliate links and will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link.