You are fed up with the way you look.
You get out of breath going up the stairs or tying your shoes.
Or maybe your doctor told you that you need to exercise or your spouse made some comments....
....or..... the reason doesn't matter a whole lot.
What is important is that you made a decision to workout, so you show up at a gym and you workout.
The workout was awful. You threw up. You got dizzy. You are embarrassed. It took an hour or more to feel better.
The humiliation from the experience is worse than whatever reason made you decide to hit the gym for the first time to begin with.
What now?
You just had one of the most miserable and self defeating experiences in your life. What do you do now?
The real answer is you need to swallow your pride and do it again. The challenge and the pain is worth it in the end and most of us know this.
The problem is that most of us don't do this.
We see the pain and the discomfort as a sign of things to to come or perhaps as just too much or the "this is why I don't workout".
This is sad to me and you need to realize that the choice is yours.
After the above described experience you can go in one of two paths. The path you choose is up to you and it's all about your mindset.
PATH 1: "This is too hard. This isn't for me. I need to find an easier way. I'm going to diet first. I'm not that out of shape...."
You get the drift. You make the decision that the results aren't worth the effort. This right here is a shitty mindset that is not only totally untrue, but also defeatist, unhealthy and will lead you on a path of disease and illness.
PATH 2: "I can't believe I let myself get here but I am committed to doing whatever it takes to change my life so I can be a better human being for me, for my family, my community, my faith, my career and all those people that I can impact in the future...."
See the difference?
I'm in awful shape so....
I give up.
Or.
I chose to change this.
When you experience your first workout you may feel a little of both or perhaps more of one or the other.
The way you feel doesn't matter. Change your mindset to the latter choice and take ACTION again and again to the point where you no longer have the negative effects of being in poor shape.
Let me share with you a short story from my life as a competitive athlete.
During the first day of cross country practice my freshman year in 1987 the coach sent the team out for a distance run on the roads and trails.
It was an out and back course.
On the way back from the "white fence" I looked behind me and realized that I was the last guy.
Yeah, I was the last kid to finish the run that day.
What if I had taken the attitude of, "This is too hard. This isn't for me. I'm the worst guy on the team..."
I didn't. I took it as a personal challenge to become better.
3 years later I led my cross country team to the state championship with a 17th place finish.
4 years after I was the last guy back from the run I set the school record for the one mile run. A record that stood for 18 years.
The first workout is going to be hard but the regret from giving up so easily will be harder.
There will be challenges on your fit life journey. Embrace them and go out in search of the next one.
Would you like a little help on YOUR journey? I'm here for you. CLICK HERE to schedule a FREE 20 minute coaching call.
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