Is your willpower shorting out before you fit exercise into your day?

Have you ever been driving and thinking, "I'm going to go for a run after xyz task", or "I am going to hit the gym after dinner tonight."? I have. All the time.

Have you ever had these positive intentions but failed to actually DO them? Welcome to life. Ends up, we all have only so much willpower. Once we've completed a day of errands, work tasks, and the hustle of daily life, we're often left running on depleted willpower stores [1]. Do we succumb to this fact, or do something about it? The latter, of course!

No excuse to pass on the workouts! Ways to keep moving when willpower has its limits [1]:

Schedule exercise.

It's a plan, make it happen. Bring your workout clothes to work so there's no stop over at home between work and your workout.

Get a trainer or exercise buddy.

Accountability is a great motivator!

Get it over with.

If you're pooped after the day is done, plan workouts for the morning hours so that you get it over with early in the day.

Get in a good mood.

Studies show that people can show more self-control when they are in a good mood.

This article was brought to my attention by our podiatrist at work as she was returning from her lunch hour in a sweaty rush. When I gave her mad props for her lunch hour workout, she explained to me this research and has chosen to out-smart her limited willpower by bumping her workout up to her lunch hour.

Likewise, I giving a go at switching my workout time to the mornings once our new treadmill is up and running (fingers crossed for later this week). While I've never thought of myself as a "morning person", I am finding more and more so that by the end of the day a workout is right up there with doing the dishes, folding laundry, and making lunches. You know, just another dreaded to-do. We'll see how the mornings go but I have a feeling that once I get the timing worked out just right, the mornings and I could make for a serious butt-kicking combo.

I also received a HUGE pat on the back in an email from my boot camp instructor to our group of participants. The email included a line which read, "Congrats to Nicole who lost the most number of inches last month!" Woooot!

Question: Can you remember the last time you PLANNED to workout...but it never happened before the day was done?

Me: Just this past Friday, oops!

[1]. Boyles, Salynn. Limited Willpower Can Affect Your Workout. WebMD Health News. September 25, 2009.