Many people overthink things. They think too much and do way too little – not just about exercise either – about everything. The biggest reason (excuse) gym owners hear about someone not getting started on their exercise program is “I need to think about it”.
What exactly is it you need to think about? Is it that you will get stronger and fitter, lose a few pounds, disease proof your body, improve mental and emotional health or make every aspect of your life so much better?
An exercise program is not really optional
Often we have a great idea, a thought or see a need (like an exercise program) and we think we should get started and go for it. We see something in our life that we feel needs changing or improving – like fitness or losing weight and we think and then we think some more.
But the problem is we keep on thinking and do nothing. Most often we talk ourselves right out of our great idea (our exercise program). We come up with plenty of reasons (excuses) why we can’t do it, all the ways the timing is not right, all the things holding us back or how we may inconvenience other people.
Rather than focusing on the benefits of taking action we focus on the hurdles, the obstacles or the way we may have to alter our routine or our life to fit this exercise program in and how inconvenient that will be. This then gives us more reasons (those excuses again) NOT to follow our great idea than to risk taking a chance.
Our exercise program is still waiting to be started
Or another common thread is that we only think about this idea of an exercise program for a little bit, maybe for a day or so. It could flash through our mind that we can no longer fit certain clothes and have started wearing looser clothing that hides (or we think it does) our growing waistline or bulges. One day becomes another and another and soon the week/month has passed and the idea of getting started on that exercise program has just faded away into the sunset.
It does not mean that the idea was not a good one or that it wasn’t necessary. No. It just means you let it wither and die. Who knows how it might have been had you actually got started on that exercise program. You might have more energy now, you may have lost some weight and be back fitting your clothes, you might be looking and feeling so much better that you are so glad you did get started and will never look back. But you won’t have any of this as you didn’t act.
So as you let yourself get away without discipline in your life it extends way beyond an exercise program. It can extend into important things connected with family or career with valuable opportunities being lost or squandered.
Just the act of performing your exercise program a couple of times each week will give you much needed discipline in your life. None of us can get away with a no proper exercise lifestyle and a diet of unhealthy foods forever. There will be price to pay somewhere down the track with the consequences of poor health or even a shortened life.
But it is never too late to make a change and get started on your exercise program so you can reap the many benefits. You will be delighted how good you will feel just taking action and leaving the ‘thinking’ bit behind.
A strong, fit, slim, healthy body is not going to happen without that action and as you get better at it, it will continue on for the rest of your life. Remember action equals results which equal on-going motivation, so, once the ball is rolling you will be unstoppable and you will never regret getting yourself started.
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