It’s going to be so cold for those first 10 strokes…

Getting a training session started is the hardest part

By Chris Palmquist

Your alarm goes off. Now is the critical moment. Will you turn it off, roll over and sleep another hour? Or will you stiffly get out of bed, put on workout clothes and head out for that training session?

Your brain is skillful at firehosing messages to sway your resolve

It is dark. This is not normal human behavior. I need sleep. My back aches. I think I might have a sore throat. I don’t really care that much about getting faster. It might be icy. The pool is freezing this week. I have an important meeting later and should rest for it. I haven’t run in 3 months, why start now?

If you work from home like I do many days, you might have the whole day (even evening) to get in that workout. This is not helpful! It is amazing how many things you think you have to do before you head out to train.

You are not alone. I know a few people who are AMAZING at getting in their workouts every morning before dawn without fail. But they are the exception. As for the rest of us, it is hard for any of the following reasons:

You have important work to do first.
You hate those first few swim strokes when the water shocks your body with COLD.
You are coming back from a long layoff and feel uncoordinated and clumsy.
Your body is sore or stiff and you know that it will be uncomfortable until you get warmed up.
You don’t really believe in yourself and your ability to achieve your goal.
Your partner discourages your training.
You don’t want to leave your dogs home alone. (Guilty)
You are too hungry. You are too full.
The kitchen floor needs sweeping.
You are stressed out and just don’t need more stress.
Fill in blank here ________________

These are valid and important feelings and reasons! It is easy to understand why we procrastinate from starting or skipping workouts entirely.

BUT, we are endurance athletes and we know these truths. If we start the workout…

We will finish the workout.
We will feel awesome after we train.
“Motion is lotion” - our achy joints will often feel better.
Our stress levels will lower with exercise.
We will know that we gave ourselves a gift of health and that knowledge will help the whole day be better.
We will get stronger. We will make progress towards our goals. We will start to believe.

Effective solutions to the workout procrastination problem

Amanda Leibovitz (Certified Mental Performance Consultant at www.epicwellnesswa.com), my good friend and frequent collaborator, is finishing her PhD in Sports Psychology and is working with injured service members, athletes and sports teams. She recommends the following tools to crush your tendency to put off that next workout.

Use “Whypower” instead of willpower. Know why you want to achieve your goals. Imagine a memory or experience that you will be proud of if you train and accomplish your goals. Know your “WHY.”
Take action rather than thinking. We are over-thinkers. It is not helpful in this situation. Stop it! Turn your brain “off” (mostly) and just get going.
Review your your reason why, then state, “I will (get out of bed, dive into the pool, take the first pedal strokes, start my run, etc.) after I count down from five.” Then, say it out loud, “Five, four, three, two, one…GO.” Read the Five Second Rule by Mel Robbins for more.

Counting down from five may seem a little silly. But I can attest, it really works. Find your Whypower, turn down your over-thinking, countdown from five and let me know how it goes.

Let’s GO!