Quit Procrastinating On Your Weight Loss Goals

Tough love time! This blog is usually one that encourages and uplifts, and we certainly want to keep it this way. However, we acknowledge that such a nurturing approach might not work for everyone who is reading this. So this time we are going to try and do something different – a ‘tough love’ approach to those who procrastinate on their weight loss.

Be honest – are you one of those people who puts things off? It’s ok – we all do it. It’s human nature. “Why do something today when you can do it tomorrow,” or so the saying goes. But procrastination can cost us more than we can imagine. It’s time to acknowledge it and not shy away. So if you made a New Year’s resolution, now is the time to dust it off and read it again!

But before we begin, let us address something fundamental first. Why do we procrastinate? In general, we procrastinate because the task we are putting off is unpleasant in some way. Either we don’t like doing it, for example: calling a bank, or there is some physical discomfort, like going to the dentist. The task may even be boring and monotonous, or just plain difficult.

In terms of weight loss, it is because the pain of not losing weight does not feel like it is worth it – until something happens. Regardless, the effects of procrastination can run deeper than just not doing the task. There are other problems that this kind of mindset can cause. Let us explore some of them.

The first thing to note is poor morale. There is nothing worse than knowing you have a job you need to do, and knowing at the end of the day that the job wasn’t done. It can make you feel down, and even preoccupy your mind while you’re trying to concentrate on other things. This is the same with people who feel they ought to be healthier, but don’t want to put effort in, which brings us to the next point.

You may end up getting a reputation of being lazy. Yes, the truth hurts. When people notice that you haven’t completed particular tasks, you can be branded as a lazy person. Not only can this affect your job or personal life, but it may mean the tasks you really want to do are offered to someone else who is considered more reliable! With regards to weight loss, it may be unfair, but people do judge and stereotype bigger people as being lazy.

Now to be fair, sometimes procrastinating isn’t a conscious action. Particular jobs just never seem to get done, even though you never consciously decided not to do them. But you can save yourself a lot of mental clutter, and perhaps even more discomfort later on, if you just adopt a “do it now” attitude. Decide that you’re just going to get the job out of the way. When it comes to weight loss, it is not an immediate task, but you should try to make a start and plan immediately. Without a plan, you can’t progress forward. By moving to step one, often you will realise that the discomfort you associated with the task was simply your mind feeding on itself as you were putting it off.

And the sense of relief you get from finishing the task is well worth it. So, now you know about procrastination you have to ask yourself the question – “what am I going to do about it?” Hopefully you will decide to banish procrastination from your life, and reap the rewards of that decision! When it comes to weight loss, the first step will be getting the Granite Fitness Masterclass. Do it now!

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Also published on Medium.