Why do we procrastinate going to the gym?

Author: Stanislav Velednitsky - personal fitness trainer.
2016-09-20

For 12 years as a personal trainer, more than 7 people daily, in different physical shapes and with various goals - but they all had (and will have) one thing in common: skipping workouts. I'm not talking about all my clients, as there are true "self-motivators" among my trainees who come to training no matter what. But I couldn’t stop wondering for a long time why the others cancel their workouts at the last moment, why they lose motivation, and ultimately, why they quit sports at all? To find answers, I had to sift through tons of foreign websites on psychology and fitness, and in the end, I found some answers.

REASON #1: LAZINESS IS A NATURAL INSTINCT

Imagine that you set an alarm for 6 AM to go for a morning run. You probably imagined yourself like in a sports shoe commercial, and the idea of starting to run in the morning even inspired you. But as soon as your phone starts waking you up in the morning, you felt an enormous reluctance to throw off the warm blanket, leave the cozy bed, and, shivering from the morning chill, put on your sportswear.

Even those with the most serious intentions suffer from a lack of motivation to train. Where there is a great Desire, there can be an equally great Unwillingness.

And this is where our psychology plays a cruel trick on us. Canceling a workout is perceived as a personal failure, a defeat, a manifestation of weak character, and ultimately leads to the fact that the very idea of training starts to take on a negative connotation. And now you’re ready to tell yourself that secret phrase, “Maybe sports aren’t for me…”. The final line, the curtain falls.

But you need to stop blaming yourself right now. Because it is normal for human nature to be lazy!

Daniel Lieberman, an expert in human evolutionary biology, published an article in 2015 titled "Are Workouts Really Necessary?". In it, he states: "It is natural and normal to be physically lazy. By nature, a person tries to avoid unnecessary physical work to conserve energy. Training is physical work, isn't it?"

Many surveys have shown that most people are more willing to train if the workout is interesting (or done in a playful way), or when there is a pressing need for physical activity (to lose weight for a wedding, to get in shape for childbirth).

SOLUTION: Don't blame yourself for not wanting to work out. It's normal; it's our nature. Just don't make "Napoleonic" plans, and don't try to do everything at once. Learn to move forward gradually, in small steps. Remember how you learned to ride a bike – bit by bit, little by little. Nobody learned to ride a bike by flying down a hill at full speed right away?!

REASON #2: IT ALL COMES FROM CHILDHOOD

Another possible reason is our childhood experience. Again, many studies confirm that factors from childhood can affect how physically active you will be in adulthood.

People who had negative experiences related to any sport in childhood (a bad teacher, teasing in physical education class, finishing last in competitions, injuries) tend to exercise much less in adulthood than those who didn’t have such experiences!

SOLUTION: As they say, what’s done is done. You can’t return to childhood, but you must remember the most important thing – you can create a proper "foundation" for your own children! When I was little, my parents took me to dance, karate, figure skating, and hiking in the mountains – in other words, I got used to being physically active from a young age, and now I can’t imagine living even one day without training. Help your children become healthy and confident, develop them physically!

REASON #3: YOU LACK SUPPORT

Personally, I train 4 times a week. And often I don’t have the strength or desire to work out. But what gives me strength and motivation is that my training partner Georgiy will arrive at the gym exactly at 1:30 PM and will be eagerly waiting for our next great workout together. And I can't let him down.

A person is physically "attached" to society. I’m sure this goes back to our primitive ancestors. Millions of years ago, people hunted in groups, helping each other. Now, in the age of social media, we have become incredibly isolated – and this drives our motivation to work out down to zero. If our relatives and loved ones do not share your idea of a healthy lifestyle, it can be very demotivating.

SOLUTION: Get yourself a workout partner. Or a friend (or girlfriend) with whom you will run together in the mornings. Or, in the end, a personal trainer. But it must be someone REAL, not virtual. All those online weight loss marathons are nothing more than empty chatter because no one really monitors or motivates you. And one more thing – let this "someone" be physically stronger than you so that you strive for improvement!