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How to stop procrastinating with your run

Woman lying on sofa using television remote control

We’ve all been there. You genuinely don’t mean to neglect your exercise but for whatever reason, you push back the run and let other life demands take precedence. You hope to get the run in early but a busy start to the day causes it to get rescheduled. Life happens and unexpected events pop up, chores or work takes longer and then, in the evening a wave of fatigue settles in pushing the run right out of your mind. While it’s easy to use the word “busy” as an excuse for fitness fails, really the word “procrastination” is more accurate. After all, you make time for whatever you see as important or the activities that you really want to do. But if you stop procrastinating, you will get the run in. You will see an improvement in fitness and stop feeling guilty all day. Here are some tips to quit procrastinating:

Become an early bird. There’s a reason why runners are famous for getting up early in the a.m. You get it out of the way first thing at a time when other demands are less likely to take over. The only tough bit is getting out of bed. It takes a bit of trial and error to make adjustments to find the right bed time but it will be worth it when it’s done and not taking up brain space all day as you put it off.

Plan something for after so that you have a reward and something to look forward to it. If you want to be strict on yourself, don’t allow yourself to indulge in those plans if the run or workout didn’t get done. You will also have a more clear cut time frame of when it has to be done. Many people will say that the busier you are, the more inclined you will be to actually organize your time to make it happen.

Set an alarm. It doesn’t have to be for the morning. Just set the clock for the time of day that you said you’d go for the run. When it goes off, you’ll have a concrete reminder that it’s time to go instead of just a ballpark time of day that gets pushed back. Plus, the clock will nag you making you more inclined to get out.

Read motivational stories and quotes because if you don’t want to go, those will get you feeling pumped up and excited for the run. Find out what works for you whether it’s a favourite book, social media account or inspiration quotes. Have them ready for when you’re feeling less than motivated.  

Set a timer and race the clock. Want to go for a 45-minute run? Set a timer for 50 minutes giving you enough time to lace up the shoes and get out the door. Once you set the timer you’re less likely to dally. So set it, get the shoes on and run your route before it goes off.

Put your gear on because when you get ready for the run, you will feel so much more guilty taking the gear off without having gotten it sweaty. Plus, once you’re changed and ready to go, all you have to do is leave the house.

 

 

 

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