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PROCRASTINATION... Procrastination is an insidious beast that wreaks havoc among our best intentions, it s an indicator that our priorities have run amok! Successfully persuading us to ignore what we know is crucial to our health, it elevates the mundane and subjugates the important. How else could anyone in their right mind convince themselves that re-reading the sports page editorials, catching up on the intrigue and acrimony of Jerry Springer, and cleaning (and re-cleaning) the litter box could be more important than exercise. We all know the benefits associated with good health and the prices we pay for the lack thereof, so how does such a simple, logical situation confound and disorient so many of us? Ever used the demands of your spouse, employer, family or friends as excuses not to exercise? Doing so allows you to subconsciously blame an outside party for your current state of lethargy and thus enables you to maintain your personal image of yourself as that of a dedicated, committed, athletic machine. After all, if you weren t wasting your time reacting to their needs and requests, you d be left with ample opportunity to exercise and consequently would find yourself in better health and possessing the svelte, sexy, seductive shape o your dreams. (Which would, of course, lead to a better spouse, job, etc, etc). Well folks, if you re overly familiar with this line of reasoning you may want to invest in a set of hip-waders cause the manure appears to be flowing a bit thick in your neck of the woods. Procrastination sucks the life out of the present moment. Like a termite eating away at the foundation of a home, procrastination gnaws and chews at the back of our minds, intermittently reminding us (and generally when we least want to hear it) that we really should be elsewhere, engaged in a more athletic, calorie consuming endeavor. A word of caution; if one is engaged in an activity that not only supercedes a workout, but also negates the benefits thereof, the frequency with which your inner voice will remind you of your broken promises will increase proportionately (see #6 below). Bookstores are filled to overflowing with strategies and techniques to help you move through the moment of indecision that occurs when your immediate desires and actions run contrary to what you were previously convinced was most important. Some suggestions culled from my somewhat esoteric and bizarre library to help propel you over the hump of procrastination: 1) Find yourself a talented head-squelcher to prod and poke about your psyche for feelings of inadequacy, poor self-esteem or a jaded and wounded inner child. 2) Visualize yourself as a cellulite encased glob of flaccid muck that requires physical assistance to traverse the thirty odd feet from the Lazy Boy to the beer fridge. (Unpleasant to be sure, but effective). 3) On the contrary, visualize yourself completing a future goal or dream (not as motivating as option two but one must be positive now, mustn t one). 4) Surround yourself with folks already proven successful in this inner battle-zone, ones who ve chewed procrastination up, spat it out (with a mouthful of Gatorade) then stomped on it with their bloodstained, mud-soaked, sweat streaked cross-trainers. 5) Enroll yourself in some future race/event then inform everyone within 100 meters (for seven days) of your commitment, thus invoking your inherent fear of judgement. 6) Lastly, and perhaps most potent of the lot, is the power of guilt. Draw within your mind a picture of what the perfect athlete would do and then relentlessly and vehemently chastise yourself each and every time you break a health-related commitment. While occasionally effective, the bulk of the above make for a rather unpleasant experience of exercise. Committing to improved health and fitness is a noble and satisfying endeavor that brings with it a host of benefits, but when the initial goals are set unrealistically, or the commitment is simply lip service based on unclear motivations, procrastination will inevitable rear its unwelcome head. When it crops up in your life (as it relentlessly and judiciously does in mine), take the time to question your motivations and then recalibrate on your goals and objectives. Procrastination is nothing more than an indication that your commitment is waning! Use it to your advantage rather than passively allowing it to thwart your dreams. |
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