Having Put This Off Long Enough....

We recently had a huge 24-hour gym open up here in town.  Only about 4 blocks from the office - and right on my way to and from said office.  They ran a giant campaign to sign up members and ladies at the office starting joining right and left.  Suddenly everyone was checking in on Facebook at Planet Fitness!  Each check in sent a little ping of guilt straight through me.

When I quit going to the gym where I was previously a member, I kept using the excuse that it was clear across town and I was too busy with work to make it happen.  The drive was nearly 15 minutes over and 15 minutes back, so I felt justified with my "excuse" for not going.....

Now that seemingly everyone I know has joined the new gym and raved about it, I decided I had no excuse.  The price is right - less than half what I was spending before.  No group workout classes, but lots of great equipment to utilize.  I figured it would just take a little discipline to plan a fitness routine and then put it into action.

So, I hustled my hiney on over there on the way home from the office one afternoon and signed up. 

That was 2-1/2 weeks ago and I've been - drum roll, please - one time!  Yes, one - as in single - time.....

Ugh.  What is the matter with me?!?!?  It seems I just can't get my rear in gear and get rolling with any sort of a program!

I have the best of intentions.  I lie in bed at night and plan out my routine for the next morning:  get up early, make a bowl of oatmeal and fruit for a healthy breakfast and hit the gym for an hour.  I lie there and fantasize about having a hard, toned body for the summer, totally enamored with the image of my improved self in shorts and a tank top.....

Then, the alarm goes off the next morning, and I hit "snooze" a couple of times and put off my plans for "just one more day", delaying the benefits I know I will surely derive from getting up and getting active.

This is procrastination, pure and simple.  And the only one I'm hurting by it is myself.

So, maybe I need to rethink this exercise thing.  Maybe an early morning workout is not in my best interest.   (Obviously, since I never seem to make it!)  Perhaps I need to modify my plans.  I might benefit more from giving up some of my time in front of the television in the evenings and making the trek to the gym later in the day.  (Because Lord knows, I sit and nibble on whatever is in the house when I sit and watch television.....and, honestly, what do I really have to gain by watching "Swamp People"???)  Or, maybe I should squeeze that workout in after wrapping up at the office and before coming home for supper. (They say that exercise actually reduces your appetite, so that might help with the nibbling problem.)

Whatever plan I seize on, it needs to work for me.  I am reminded of my word for this year.....Action.  Whatever routine I lay out in my mind, I have to ACT upon it!  It's totally up to me and, frankly, I am getting tired of my own excuses.  When they start to sound hollow to my own ears, well, they must be pretty lame.

Don't mistake the tone of this post as whiny.  No, I'm sitting here with gritted teeth, acknowledging that I have a real issue here.  Having known the benefits of routine exercise and getting into shape before, I am mostly irritated with myself for having slacked off. 

According to experts, it takes at least three weeks of doing something to make it a habit.  Let's see where I stand in three weeks!