Everybody knows that we need to perform regular exercise to stay healthy, fit and toned. Once you get started on that road you’re much more likely to keep going.
But why is it so difficult to get started? As a Fitness Coach at Ladies First Fitness (Fran Noble) where I’ve been coaching women for over 14 years, here is my experience of the 3 main road blocks for getting started.
The ‘Physical’ Road Block
These are perceived difficulties for getting started such as: time, space, equipment, energy, money, strength, stiffness, painful joints, injuries, etc.
Most of the time these barriers are fleeting thoughts that act as very real reasons to prevent you from entertaining the idea of getting started and seem very legitimate and impossible to overcome. However, if you sit down and start writing out the problem with the purpose of finding a solution you most likely will find one! Just typing in the problem to Google will probably give you a few ideas!!
Time
Take time, as an example – in order to get fit you think you have to find an hour to do a workout, either by following a video, or going to the gym. You can do strength-training components of a workout for any time duration in shorter bursts throughout the day.
Cardio only takes 20 mins – you could possibly do that whilst vacuuming your home. (I literally just looked this up on Google and “Cardio-Vac” is a thing!!)
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-04-13-vw-22382-story.html
You could do an arm workout whilst watching TV (Google supplies: “7 ways to get toned while you watch TV” and so on. Where there’s a will there’s a way!
Most of the time we just haven’t given enough problem-solving thought to the barrier. Getting a notebook and slowing your brain down by writing it down and working through things logically will surprise you!
Equipment
Equipment is a relatively simple one to overcome. You don’t need complicated equipment, or even any equipment at all, to perform strength training or cardio! You can do strength training with body weight exercises such as squats and press-ups. There are chair and wall variations if you’re not strong enough to do a full-blown press-up so there’s no excuse!
The ‘Knowledge/Support’ Road Block
Assuming you managed to get past the physical barriers and were ready to get started, the next barrier is the one where you simply do not ‘know’ what to do get fit. Which exercises should I do?; for how long?; what weight should I try?; should I warm-up?; do I stretch before or after? There are so many myths and conflicting opinions out there.
If you approached this like any other project you would probably find all the answers you need or find someone who does. There are plenty videos and apps with resources and explanations waiting to be found once you start looking.
Women, in particular, like encouragement and support when starting activities and need regular input to help them keep going. The obvious support group is, of course, an exercise class or gym where a professional coach will provide this, but now there is Zoom and online resources that can also help.
The ‘Mindset’ Road Block
There are numerous barriers that are “all in your head”! Lack of motivation is probably the foremost one for starting exercise. Procrastination, boredom, embarrassment, body image are all up there. Self-sabotage ways of thinking like “I can’t do it”, “I’ll look stupid”, “what if someone laughs at me?” also apply.
There is usually a way round any barrier. Getting them down on paper and analysing why you think like this is a good start. Consider past experiences that have shaped your thinking or where the fear originated. There is so much information online these days. I found a great one for procrastination – but I’ll tell you later! Only kidding! There is a whole industry grown up around Mel Robbins and the “5-Second Rule”.
The 5 Second Rule is simple. If you have an instinct to act on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill it. The moment you feel an instinct or a desire to act on a goal or a commitment, use the Rule.
That’s just a small example of what you can find if you go looking.
When I perform Consultations in my gym, I always find that a woman’s personal goals are usually enough to get them motivated, especially if they know that they have someone to help along the way and they are in an environment of like-minded people. Find what works and who works for you. Write your goals down and keep track of them.
Avoid overwhelm by breaking each step into smaller steps and celebrate each step. Make yourself accountable to someone, write each action in your diary and tick if off as you go along.
A journey of 1000 miles starts with 1 step – take the first step, then another, and before you know it, you’ll be half way there!
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