Do you have a fear of exercise? Does the thought of joining a gym or going for a run fill you with dread?
Even for seasoned fitness fans most will admit there are days when get your arse out of bed to do a run is a challenge! So what if you are a newbie to exercise, how to you get going?
We all know that exercise is good for us but it’s all too easy to make excuses not to do it “I’m too busy” “ I can’t afford it” “I’m too unfit” “It will be too difficult” “I won’t be able to do it” “I’m too embarrassed”
Do any of those sound familiar?
The first step is to stop being so hard on yourself and just start!
You don’t have to great to start, you have to start to be great
We are all our own worst enemy and our inner critic serves to paralyse us from doing anything remotely out of comfort zone. Be kind to yourself and think what would you say to a friend if they were being so negative?
If you have held back from doing some form of exercise even though you really want to be fitter and healthier it is likely that you have some form of negative association with ‘exercise’, for many people even the word evokes fear! Rather than seeing exercise as a form of punishment or necessary evil try and see it as a wonderful gift that you are giving to yourself and allow yourself to explore of all the ways you will benefit and how good that would feel.
It takes a lot of energy to start but once you have momentum it is much easier to keep going. You need a really compelling reason that will keep you going, not superficial I want to get into a size pair of jeans but a reason that carries a lot of emotional weight.
When I work with clients, I will ask them
Is it because you don’t want to get ill?
Is it because you don’t want to die young?
Is it because you want to be able to run around with you kids in the garden?
Is it because you want to be able to walk your children down the aisle?
Keep asking yourself Why? Until you get to a reason that really hits home! That is your reason to keep fit!