This post is all about helping those struggling to start their fitness journey.
I’m guessing you’re here because you’re struggling to start your journey. That’s okay. We’re going to play a simple (and short) game of “Who? What? When? Where? and Why?”
Unconventional, maybe, but here at L+A, we are trying to get you on the path to success and there are days when you are going to want to quit. So we’re going to keep it super simple today and focus on the important things in our lives that have motivated us to take this journey of self-improvement. So ask yourself the following few questions and take the time to answer them so that you can not only get started on your journey but stay moving down the path when you feel like giving up.
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First things first –
Table of Adventures
Who
Who are you doing this for?
If your answers range from a spouse to a friend or to someone you’re simply trying to impress: try again.
Does your answer include a parent? Your followers on Instagram?
Try. Again.
Your who needs to be “you.” Period. It’s that simple. If it isn’t, then you need to take a step back and think about why you’ve embarked on this journey.
That brings us to the next question.
What
What are you striving for at the end of this journey?
Is it to have more energy? Is it something more than that like being able to run around the park with your kids without feeling out of breath within the first two seconds?
Maybe this is for your health (very important for your longevity).
Or your what could be because you want to feel better about yourself. Do you simply want to look a certain way when the summer comes?
Whatever it is, your what has to mean something to you – ‘cause at the end of the day, it’ll drive you forward to that shiny finish line.
It also helps to be as concrete as possible, because that helps you measure your success. That isn’t always 100% doable – at what weight will you ‘feel better about yourself?’ Quantifying a target weight can add a feeling of accomplishment as you reach that goal.
When
Give yourself a reasonable deadline.
Say you’ve got a milestone birthday in a year and you want to look your best for yourself – give yourself a year to get to your goal. Depending on how intense your journey is that could very well be achievable.
For example, I do have a milestone birthday coming up. I’ve given myself a year to lose the weight and with other examples of others pushing themselves, I know that I can come close to my goal by the time it hits.
Just make sure you aren’t being unreasonable with your expectations, because that isn’t healthy or useful. It only sets you up for disappointment and frustration. You can absolutely lose 30 pounds in a year. You can lose 50 pounds in a year! But expecting to lose 50 pounds in a month is only going to lead to heartache and maybe even push you to sacrifice your health.
The fastest way to get to your goal before your deadline isn’t to cut corners or risk your health. It’s simply to start today.
By telling yourself that you have to meet your deadline you’ve given yourself some sense of purpose to your what. Your what becomes reinforced as you’re making this a priority in your life.
Where
Where are you able to thrive as you work out?
Look at your surroundings and come up with ideas that you’ll feel comfortable feeling exposed as you do jumping jacks.
How about the public school’s track and field? Is there a community swimming pool that you can do water exercises in? Maybe your balcony.
Or maybe you like to be around others who will fuel your energy like in a gym setting.
Or maybe you’re more shy and much more open to exercising in the comforts of your home.
Find spaces that allow space for your body, your comfort and your mental state.
I personally find gym environments to be intimidating when it’s more than 25% full. I like to pretend like I’m the only one there and if I feel claustrophobic from too many other people, I won’t have that sense of comfort. Personally, I find that having another venue option helps fulfill what I require when I’m struggling to start for the day; I even give myself a flex day during the week to switch the workouts for the day if I need to.
I actually use Google to check the hours to see how busy my gym is; this puts me in control. This helps as I can schedule my routine around when I’m going to be the most at ease during my exercise routine – and you can totally steal that trick!
Last, but certainly not least!
Why
This should be easy. Who + What = Why.
You are doing this for yourself because ________.
If you haven’t figured this out by now… take a deep breath, then start again. Your journey will be met with a lot of roadblocks and if you aren’t ready and able to jump over the hurdles you’re setting yourself up for a nasty collision.
Most importantly – be honest with yourself! Why do you want to do all this work? It’s certainly easier to curl up and watch The Mandalorian (he will always be Baby Yoda to me ♡), so why go through all this trouble?
Is it for your health? Is it for your self-confidence? Is it a matter of pride? Or vanity? No judgment! At the end of the day, as long as your reasons come from you and aren’t being thrust upon you by someone else, they are valid. You’re valid. But you have to honestly know why you’re working so hard, so that you can lean on that motivation when things get rough.
Now that you’ve answered these questions – come back to them whenever you’re frustrated or distressed. You’ve just given yourself all the answers you need to keep going! I promise you’ll stop struggling to start in no time.
There’s a nice tall glass of lemonade waiting for you at the finish line.