Guilt's Role in Your Workout Routine

Guilt's Role in Your Workout Routine

How often do you take a day off from your workout routine, only to spend the day saddled with guilt? Or you hit the gym, planning a quick workout, but your guilt inspires you to push past the quickie and give it 100 percent? My favorite is when I'm hungry for a juicy cheeseburger and my guilt persuades me to order the salad.

Guilt is a part of our biological make-up. We feel guilty in life to keep ourselves in check, whether it be in our workout, our eating habits, or our lifestyle in general.

When we give our mind a lame excuse to skip a sweat session, our guilt weighs in to hold us accountable. It's the little voice in the back of your head demanding to know why you really didn't go to the gym like planned or chose to skip your after dinner walk. Once you learn to listen to this inner voice, it can be your greatest ally in your quest to get fit. Allow it to help you get in touch with what's really going on in your mind preventing you from reaching your goals. Don't allow it to sabotage your efforts.

You can discover a lot about yourself from listening to your guilt. Your guilt may be telling you to slow down. If your excuses to skip your workout are born out of frustration of constant muscle soreness, you may be overworking your muscles without giving them adequate time to rebuild. Or you are bored with your current program and it's time to switch up your fitness routine. Maybe it's time to sign up for a new class to ignite that former spark you felt when your exercised. Try a yoga class to find your inner peace and get in touch with your inner self. It will teach you to focus your mind, consequently keeping your guilt in check.

Your diet is another area where guilt can be your biggest ally. When your body craves the richest item on the menu, let guilt be your guide in ordering. I always count on my inner voice speaking up when I consider ordering the prime rib. It doesn't speak...it screams, NO! Because, I know there are more fat and calories in a piece of prime rib, than an entire dinner of 6 oz. Filet, Baked Potato, Salad with low calorie dressing, and a vegetable. So, let you guilt speak up and eat the Filet! It is better for your heart and your waistline.

Instead of allowing guilt to corrupt your fitness goals, use it to your advantage. Allow it to push you harder at the gym and make your workouts more effective, allow it to help you make smart choices in terms of your diet, and most of all allow it to persuade your mind to succeed on your fitness journey!