PROCRASTINATION

It’s a silent killer and every one of us is guilty of it in one way or the other.
According to Webster’s Dictionary it means “To put off intentionally and habitually things that should be done”.

There are two types of Procrastination – external and internal. Let’s discuss internal and how it affects people who know that they need to get fit, but find excuse after excuse to stay the way they are – Out of Shape:

It’s Too Hard

People procrastinate because they believe the task at hand is too difficult. “I can’t lose all this weight or improve my nutrition”. So they put it aside. They are comfortable.

I recall a well-known motivational speaker touch on this subject – By being comfortable you are slowly dying on the inside. You are challenging your inner being from developing and obtaining new stimulation in your life. Without any new challenges, our minds and lives stagnate. This is what is meant by dying on the inside. If you don’t change what you are doing today and get no results, what do you expect to change? Same action, same result.

Fear of Failure

This often leads individuals to believe that it is better to stay static than to try something new – that way they won’t “fail”. Well, Albert Einstein once said “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

Fear of Success

This puzzles me. I have had people come to me and tell me everything they know that needs to change in their lifestyle, but won’t commit to changing. Why? They have a Fear of Succeeding. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? They are so used to being they way they are – overweight, poor eating habits, etc. – that making a positive transformation in their lives scares them.

Perfectionism

Some people believe that they must be perfect in whatever they do. People sometimes tell me that they can’t perform a particular exercise perfectly, for example, and feel uncomfortable about this. If you don’t try, you’ll never know. Besides, at FT we have private suites – just you and your trainer. No crowds or other clients watching you as you exercise.

Time Management

Procrastination is also influenced by the fear of being overwhelmed by the amount of time needed to undertake something. If a desired task is broken down into small increments, it’s more manageable and easier to maintain.

Final Thought

Procrastination is really a head game that we all play in our minds. There is a term I came across while studying to be a Certified Personal Trainer and Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant through the American Council on Exercise (ACE). It’s called Reframing. Basically, we use our minds to turn around negative thoughts that may make a task or commitment overwhelming into a new perception of the task or commitment as being manageable and achievable.

The bottom line is that we must change our view of a task as being impossible or too hard into a series (small increments) of achievable ones.

Well, there you have it. I know this is a bit longer than most of my messages but, unfortunately, we are all guilty of Procrastination.

“One Who Lacks The Courage To Start Is Already Finished."
Ralph Waldo Emerson