Overcome your fear of exercise

How to Keep Calm in Crazy World | Linkedin Post Image
How to keep calm in a crazy world!
March 20, 2020
Fear of Heights | Phobia Therapy | Bev Gisborne
How to get over a fear of heights
April 30, 2020
Show all

Overcome your fear of exercise

Overcome Fear of Exercise | Hypnotherapy for Phobias

Do you have a fear of exercise? Does the thought of joining a gym or going for a run fill you with dread?

Overcome your fear of exercise

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.

How do you keep a fitness regime going?

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!

 

TOP 5 TIPS TO KEEP GOING

  1. Let exercise be your reward – Stop rewarding yourself with food and drink (they don’t make you feel better in the long run) Only reward yourself with things that will support your overall goals
  2. Become your own cheerleader – Notice what your inner critic says during exercise “I feel Fat” “I hate this” “This is too hard”  – Change this to “My body is going to love this” “I am getting stronger” “I Love a challenge” “I can do this”
  3. Buy some new kit – Whenever I lose my fitness mojo, a new pair of gym leggings or trainers always gets me back in right headspace!
  4. Take 5 – If the thought of going out for a 30 min run sounds like hell just start with 5 mins and slowly build up, 5 mins is better than nothing.
  5. Choose something you enjoy – Don’t force yourself to do something you hate, that will never last! Chose an activity that you enjoy, dancing, swimming, tennis it’s all activity!