No Win is Too Small

By Dalton Harris, CPT

Lack the Motivation to Workout?

We have all been in this position before, whether we are too tired or had a bad day at work putting off that planned workout seems to be a great option.  In many cases, this seems to be a reasonable excuse for missing a workout.  In some cases, this one missed workout turns into two, and two turns into three.  These become missed opportunities to reach a goal we have set for ourselves. 

Benefits of Making Time for this Workout

There are a multitude of reasons why we should partake in exercise that we may not be feeling on a given day. 

• It is a small victory that will leave you feeling accomplished.  These small things are monumental in the grand scheme of things.  When you do the little things right, the big things (long-term goals) become more achievable and fall into place.
• It relieves stress if you are worn down from a rough day at work.  For many people, stress from work or life at home deters them from working out.  This again is a small barrier that is easy to overcome, just go to the gym and exercise.  Many studies have shown that exercise does lower cortisol levels which is the hormone responsible for stress.  Additionally, it removes you from the stressful stimuli allowing you to accomplish what you had originally planned to complete.
• It allows you the opportunity to feel more energized.  For those who wake up early, it becomes a challenge to make it to the gym at five in the morning.  This is again a barrier that many people face.  However, waking up to that alarm is a win, making it to the gym is a win, and the feeling you have leaving the gym will be a win.  Whatever form of exercise you choose to participate in, will help release endorphins that will leave you feeling energized after the completion of your workout. 

These three things are all barriers that make us lose the motivation to exercise.  However, we all know that when we make time to workout regardless of the excuses, we tend to feel great that we showed up to the gym.  Regardless of how small this may seem; this is a win.  A mentor of mine once said, “take every little thing and go for a win, whether it be big or small strive for excellence and be great”.  Just take that as you will, but remember no win is too small.