While all of those reasons certainly play a part and make things more challenging, if I'm really honest with myself, the number one thing that keeps me from doing the things that I not only should be doing, but want to be doing, is....actually, wait, I'll tell you about it later...
JUST KIDDING.
The number one thing, in my opinion, that robs us of so much of what life has to offer and is always hanging around right beneath our subconscious, ready to snatch away our dreams and joy without us even noticing, is the wicked witch of PROCRASTINATION.
Why procrastination? Because it is subtle. It is not an overt evil like drugs. It is not an obvious home wrecker like drinking. It is not over-the-top. It doesn't say "No," it says, "Later."
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| Procrastination: killer of dreams |
If you had to choose the number one thing that you really want to do, a good thing, something that will benefit you and your life, but just can't seem to get around to doing, what would it be? Scheduling? Deep cleaning? Healthy eating? Studying? Budgeting? Helping the homeless? Remodeling? Painting those old drawers that have been sitting in the garage for who knows how long?
For me, aside from most of the above, the thing that I really wish I could force myself to do is EXERCISE!
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And the excuses, I mean reasons, always sound so legitimate! I've had a long day, I'm too tired to wake up early, I don't have enough time, the kids need me, I have work to do, my head hurts. But by far the worst one that kills it for me every time is this: I want my soul to be in a place where I am ready to fully commit and the planets have all aligned to present me with the ideal circumstances and blah blah baloney!
The thing is, what's worse than doing a little bit of something? Doing nothing at all! You might not have the strength to do a 5 minute plank, but can you do 1 minute, or even 30 seconds? Unless you're in a coma or hospital bed, I bet you can!
So, instead of waiting until I have the full amount of time or the full amount of energy to do this incredible workout, I've decided that I'm going to put in 10 minutes a day to start! And you know what? It's been great! I started last week and haven't missed a day yet!
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I don't have a routine, I just put in 2-5 minutes here and there until it adds up to 10 or more minutes.
So far, these are the things I've done (not all on the same day!):
- run up and down the stairs 10 times
- 100 jumping jacks
- 1 minute planks
- jog around the yard 5 times
- 10 knee lunges
- standing core twists, fast 1 minute (see below for details)
- 50 knee crunches, standing
- arm circles with light weights
- Tae Bo twist punches
I might develop a routine that I can complete in 10-15 minutes that's just right for me, but I get bored easily, so I would have to change it up every few days. But for now, I'm happy to just fit it in whenever I get the chance, as well as follow short and punchy workout routines. It helps that I have a few favorite workout moves that I can pull out from my sleeve so that I don't go blank.
Speaking of short workout routines, there are actually quite a few that look pretty cool and I might try. I put together a list of 10 workouts under 10 minutes. There's quite a variety of styles here, because I like to try different things, as well as workout different parts of my body.
- The Scientific 7-Minute Workout
- 10 Minute Workout for Busy Moms
- Maria Kang's 5 Minute Core Workout
- Victoria's Secret Model 10 Minute Fat-Blasting Workout
- 10 Minute Dancer Abs Workout
- Tae Bo 8 Minute Workout
- Kathy Smith 10 Minute Standing Abs Workout
- 5 Minute Glute and Thigh Blasting
- 10 Minute Cardio Dance Abs
- 9 Minute Core Strength Yoga
So, what's the conclusion? It doesn't matter what it is you want to do, now is better than later. Something is better than nothing. 10 minutes is better than 0 minutes.
Oh, and if you need motivation, it might help you to know that Ryan Gosling agrees.
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