Failing to Prepare = Preparing to Fail

Now that I have written a post about my journey in the gym, I want to talk about what the biggest excuse for not working out is. There is not enough time in the day for me to work out. I am sure you have all said this once in your life, but guess what, you're wrong. You can always make time for the gym and being healthy. From my experiences there are two things that are necessary to overcome this obstacle - finding your why, and planning out your days.

Find Your Why

First I want to talk about finding your "why". What I mean is that you have to know in your heart why you are going on this journey to change your health. For many people it is personal. It could also be to live longer for your family, or to be able to provide your family. It could be a way of finding success in your career or maybe your want to feel good about the way you look. No matter what it is, if you do not know your "why" you will not be successful. So what I urge you to do is to figure out what it is that drives you to be better, what that thing is that you have in your heart. Keep that "why" close to your heart so whenever you feel like giving up or taking a day off, that "why" will drive you to keep going and stay motivated. 

Plan, Plan, Plan

Now, in order to avoid the excuse of "not having enough time to workout" you have to learn how to plan. One of my favorite quotes is by hall of fame basketball coach John Wooden and it reads, "failing to prepare is preparing to fail." He is right. You have to prepare your schedule for every day. If you know you have work from 9-5 and then have to be home after to take care of the kids, wake up an hour early and go for a run. If you plan your time beforehand, you can make this work. 

Sundays are Important

A tip I would like to suggest is to take advantage of Sundays. Every Sunday I set out my schedule for the week. I write out what workout I will do each day and what goals I have for myself for each workout. I have to schedule around classes and when I was on co-op sometimes I had to wake up at 5:30 to workout. Normally this would be hard, but because I planned for it, it was a lot easier for me to wake up. Another major aspect of planning that is important is planning your meals. If you know you are not going to have enough time to make a healthy dinner, cook on Sundays and then reheat your healthy meals during the week. Planning is a necessity when it comes to success and all it takes is a little time management and commitment to become a successful planner. 

Motivation for Week

Last week, I ended my post with a motivational video that I enjoy listening to. I am going to make this a regular part of my posts. The video I will share with you today is about sacrifice and what great things it can lead to. Please leave comments if anyone has any questions about planning or about beginning your journey in the gym.