Permission to Give Up and Leave

Body Baggage for Misfits had its second meeting last week, and we were discussing tricks we use to get ourselves to exercise.  I used to put my workout clothes on the floor by the side of the bed and get dressed under the covers before flinging myself up and out.  Another woman slept in her workout gear before meeting a friend for early-morning jogs.  Another put her alarm clock across the room to force herself to get out of bed.  Several others pack their clothes and bring them with them to work, knowing that if they go home to change, they're screwed.

All of those are helpful tricks, but what happens if you are lying in bed or getting ready to leave work at the end of the day, totally miserable at the prospect of exercising and having a debate with yourself about whether or not to actually put those clothes on and go?  I say, give yourself an out.  Do not allow a debate in your mind about whether to get up, put on the clothes, press play on the yoga video, or set foot in the gym.  Do those things without burning a bunch of mental energy on the debate, but know that if you get to the gym and you are standing on the treadmill and you are still completely miserable... you have permission to give up and leave without doing a damn thing.

I have done this myself, and I am proud.

If the desire not to exercise is that strong, don't do it.  But you still have to get your body to the gym or out on the sidewalk or wherever it is that you are planning to exercise.  Forget the debate.  The debate is killing your motivation.  Get to the starting point, and then make the decision.

Walk away if you must, but do it with swagger.