Why Am I Skipping My Workouts?

Why Am I Skipping My Workouts?

You’re motivated and desperate to make a change in your life. You want to drop two waist sizes and look better. You’re sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. This time you’re going to do better…

This time you’re going to exercise and shed the fat until you have the body of a Greek god. This time it’s going to work! And you start exercising daily…

And after 2 weeks, you’ve skipped 4 workouts… and after 4 weeks, you’ve stopped exercising totally. You’re back to square one… AGAIN!

And you don’t know why your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak.

If this is the case with you, do NOT feel down. It happens to millions of people daily and the fault is in the process and not the person. Now let’s see why people skip workouts and how you can prevent yourself from getting off track.


Wrong time

The time you choose to exercise will determine to some degree if you’ll stay true to your training regimen. If you abhor waking up early, but you’re forcing yourself to wake up half an hour earlier than usual, you’re just making life more difficult for yourself.

You’d be better off exercising in the afternoon or evening. Choose a time to exercise which fits in with your daily schedule. Ideally, if you’re going to the gym, it’s best to have it close to your house or workplace so that it’s more convenient for you.

Make your exercise sessions as convenient as possible, and you’ll have less mental hurdles to overcome.


Wrong exercises

If you hate running, why are you running? The same applies to weight lifting, etc. People often engage in exercises they hate in the belief that these are the activities they need to engage in to lose weight or get fit.

The end result is that they skip workouts and quit… and never achieve their goals. If you stopped to think about it, they set themselves up for failure right from the start.

Do the exercises you enjoy and you’ll be much more likely to keep doing them. 

Weight loss is a result of a caloric deficit. Not the exercises you do. Your workouts are to boost your metabolism and stamina. The weight loss will be determined by what you eat. So, don’t force yourself to run or row if that’s not what you want to do.


Doing too much too soon

Don’t make every workout brutal, especially if you’re a beginner. The goal is to go slow and make exercise a habit first. Once you’re used to exercising daily, then you can gradually improve and challenge yourself.

If you make every workout exhausting, you’ll dread your training sessions and will always be thinking of excuses to not train. Why would anyone want to constantly torture themselves?

So, make measurable progress in reasonable time and focus on the habit of working out (in the beginning) and not the intensity of the sessions.


Not knowing when you’re really tired

There are times when you’ll be really tired, and times when you’re not tired but just not in the mood to train. The best way to know what you’re feeling will be to go ahead and exercise for 5 minutes.

Anyone can manage 5 minutes. After you’ve started, if you’re still feeling tired, then it’s best to stop and go home and rest. However, if after the first 5 minutes, you’re pumped up and good to go, then you were just not in the mood – but now you’re fine.

Go ahead and complete your workout. Always remember to give yourself that first 5 minutes.


Letting it slide

No matter how disciplined you are, there will be some days your willpower or habit fails you and you skip your workout. That’s fine. We’re all human.

However, NEVER skip two days in a row. Get back on track the next day. The moment you skip the second day, you’ll probably skip the third and next thing you know, it’s been 5 years since you’ve exercised.

So, never let yourself slide for more than one day.

Apply the tips above and you’ll make exercise a habit and be much less likely to quit before you reach your weight/fitness goals. If you hate starting over, don’t stop. Period.