That Voice That Says You Can’t Do It…IS A LIAR!

 “A body in motion tends to stay in motion, a body at rest tends to stay at rest.” Sir Isaac Newton

The other day, I had to push myself to go for a run. THAT voice, almost stopped me. You know THAT voice, don’t you? THAT voice was inside my head (AGAIN!), telling me:

“I’m too tired”

“I can’t do it”

“I’ll do it tomorrow”

“It’s too hard”

Don’t you hate THAT voice? Me, too! Thankfully, I shut it down and went running anyway.  Of course, I felt amazing when I finished.   When I returned home, I decided to pose a question on Social Media to see how other people overcome that inner voice and push themselves to exercise; 

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How do you combat THAT voice that says you shouldn’t run/bike/walk/swim/etc? When it says you can’t do it or you’re too tired or you’ll do it tomorrow?  

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I received fantastic feedback! I also confirmed that  I am not alone in fighting THAT darned voice. Here are some of the top take aways:

1. I don’t like to be told what to do, so I consider that voice someone telling me what to do and I defy it!

2. Tell that voice it’s a liar and shut up! Jesus said “get behind me Satan”

3. I think forward to how I will feel once I’m done.

4. I tell my self if I don’t go to the gym I’ll be overweight, become diabetic and likely die from heart disease. (My life coach says I live in extremes).  I don’t want any of those to be true about me, so I go to the gym and bust my hump.

5. I tell myself it’s for my health and do some positive affirmations about me deserving to be healthy.

6. I schedule my workouts at a time of day when I’m strongest, so I don’t have to fight those voices. The most effective way for me to win is to deny it battle.

7. What helps me now is reminding myself that I CAN do it. That I’m blessed to have a healthy body and mind to be able to do a physical challenge. I wouldn’t want to miss that opportunity. Of course, endorphins don’t suck either!

8. What I do to make sure I run is I sign up for a race each month and know that I’ll want to do good that day.  So, I better get out and run now! Or I plan to run in a different place (like drive somewhere and run) that makes it exciting.

9. I  remind myself how disappointed I will be if I don’t go. I also have a group of friends who hold me accountable.

10. I have a schedule posted on a big wall in my home office.  My daughters have taken on the assignment of crossing off each day as I complete it.  One writes down my time, the other devises a colorful pattern to cross out the day.  The sheet looks like a Crayola factory exploded, but having that list to answer to every day motivates me to get up and get it done.
There’s something about making a list…. but there’s real power in actually crossing them off.

11. On top of training with a specific goal (race/pace) in mind, I also give myself the option of bailing after 1 mile.  Most of the time a mile into the run I’m already feeling better and finish the workout.  Rarely, I have actually quit after 1 mile, and I think my body is the better for it.

12. And finally, one person posted this encouraging video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSIVjjY8Ou8&feature=youtu.be

Do you see any similarities? 

1. Make a plan – Schedule your time

2. Create accountability – Community works

3. Be health conscious – It’s up to us to care for the health of our body

4. Just START – Once you start, chances are you’ll finish

These suggestions are not just for running or exercising. They can be applied in all the challenging situations we face in life.

Thanks for all the feedback from those that commented!   If you have any more thoughts or words of advice to share, I’d love to hear them!!

James 4:7 (NIV)

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”