Your Excuse: "I Can't Seem to Focus When I'm Exercising!"

The Excuse Buster: Have you ever worked out while your thoughts were drifting off in the distance somewhere? Maybe you spend your workouts dreaming about the new wardrobe you're going to buy, brainstorming new business strategies, or fantasizing about your favorite celebrity. But did you know that this habit can reduce the effectiveness of your workouts? Like anything else in life, paying partial attention and giving partial effort usually yields diluted results.

If you want to boost the results you get from exercise, start giving it your full focus while you work out. Focus in on each muscle group as you work it, and concentrate on getting your form just right. Feel your heart and lungs working and the blood flowing through your veins. Breathe deeply and invest yourself mentally and emotionally into the act of flexing and working your body.

Why would you want to do this? Because when you give your full focus to something, you invest a lot more effort into it! Think about the last activity that you were fully immersed in. Maybe you completed a project for school or work, or accomplished a personal goal. Didn't time seem to fly by while you were focused so intently? And didn't the actions you took seem more enjoyable?

When you give your full attention to working out, you will notice a big difference in the way you feel after a workout - and you will definitely notice better results in your body. You may even begin to really enjoy your workouts because for the first time you are fully present while doing them - rather than trying desperately to escape them mentally. If you've never allowed yourself to engage fully with your activities like this before, try it and see what a difference it can make in both your attitude and your physical conditioning.