4 Habits to Quit to Get You Started on Your Health & Fitness Journey
Motivation is a huge reason that could be hindering you from getting started and staying on your health and fitness journey. We all hear things like, “I know what to do. I just have to do it” or “I need someone like you who is motivated to make me work out!”. The health and fitness industry is nearly a 100 billion dollar industry! That means the masses are willing to spend money on gym memberships, equipment, personal trainers, try all the fad diets and invest in workout clothes thinking one of those is a magic pill that will get them motivated.
Here are 4 common excuses that could be holding you back from getting started and from seeing results with your health and fitness!
Common Excuse #1 Waiting to want to workout.
That feeling is fleeting, unreliable and temporary. Waiting for motivation to come is like waiting for pigs to fly. You’ll wait forever. Sure, temporary bursts of motivation will occasionally hit offering that high. You may think that’s what you need to feel 100% of the time to be successful, but that’s not the case! Waiting for that energetic feeling is the best way to stay right where you are…on the couch.
The secret to motivation? Take action! Set goals to your fitness journey! Yup! It’s not fancy or glamorous and it’s not some hidden secret that’s been kept away from you. Action breeds motivation. Have you ever heard a body at rest, stays at rest? Well, the very opposite stands true too. A body in motion, stays in motion. Creating a habit and developing the discipline to show up for yourself is the secret sauce to seeing results. Take incremental steps each day and you will move in a forward direction.
Common Excuse #2 Are you a PEG (Professional Excuse Generator)?
We can crank those excuses out like there’s no tomorrow when it comes to our health and fitness, can’t we? Silence your inner PEG. To do so, you’ll first need to understand what’s behind the excuses. Typically, there’s some sort of worry, doubt or fear. That ties into the next common excuse, so read on for more on fears. For now, here’s a tip to silence your inner PEG.
Name your PEG. Give it a name and something fun that’ll make you chuckle, like Bert, Fred or Julio (that’s my PEG’s name…a play on my name, Julia). Whenever you hear those negative thoughts and excuses creeping in, tell it to quit it! Yeah, it’s a little cheesy, but it’s a fun way to change up those negative feelings and turn it into pleasant ones.
Common Excuse #3 FEAR.
False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear is wired within us. It’s a part of our biology. Think back to caveman days. Fight or flight. Survival of the fittest. Eat or be eaten. These days, threats are less fatal. Fear of not knowing what workouts to do. Fear of not seeing results following a nutrition plan. Fear of your family and friends making comments. Fear of not looking good in workout clothes. These are real fears and worries you may be experiencing. And it is totally ok to feel them.
In fact, it’s healthy to feel fear. It’s what you do with the feelings of fear, worries and doubts that make all the difference. Fight those fears by creating an enjoyable experience around working out and eating healthy. Join a fun fitness journey, have a fun salad-making party with friends, reward yourself to a spa day, a set of weights or a new pair of kicks when you reach small goals. You may not have control of what fears creep in, but you have every bit of control over what you do with the fears.
Common Excuse #4 You push it off.
Procrastination is self-sabotaging. Ever find yourself saying, “I’ll work out when…”, “I got busy and didn’t have time to workout” or “I want to wait until Monday to start”? Very common. However, you’re sabotaging yourself for success. Negative thoughts can become our reality, so recognizing and stopping these thoughts are more powerful than you may think. Don’t hold yourself back from reaching your goals to fitness journey! If you think about it, procrastination is just our way of protecting ourselves from future hurts and disappointments.
All in all, the excuses you tell yourself are common. You are not alone. Taking small steps each day is the best place to start. Whether it’s a walk around the neighborhood or 20 jumping jacks (preferably done right now. See what I did there?), everything you do counts. Don’t forget to celebrate your wins. You deserve it!
About the author
Julia Chang is a health and fitness coach, motivator, and Taekwondo master. She currently runs online health and fitness challenges and online motivation bootcamps.
If you liked this article, stay tuned for an interview we will publish with her soon! Meanwhile you can follow her on Instagram on @juliachanghappy and visit her blog.