Starting Here And Now

Starting is the most crucial step toward accomplishing anything. Let’s dive into a few examples right off the bat.

• Starting with the first sentence is handy for writing a book.
• A good start toward running a marathon is to put on your shoes and go for a run.
• If you want to build muscle or lose fat, starting a workout program is the way to go.

These examples could go on, but I’ll spare your eyes by listing just three. Starting with small or big goals requires taking small or big steps. Starting and continuing are not easy, especially after failures.

The age-old example of this is the flood of new gymgoers post New Year’s Eve, and the dwindling numbers come February. That’s when the gym becomes a ghost town.

Starting is the hardest thing; sometimes, getting started and keeping going is difficult. Here, I’ll explore this and try to help you with your health and fitness.  

Why It’s Difficult Starting

You set a big goal, fixate on the distance, and miss what’s right in front of you—the first step.

You feel daunted before you even begin the journey. For some, that’s a challenge; others may procrastinate and never start. In my profession, getting started is as simple as paying—but that doesn’t solve the problem, even if clients think it does.

Many people fail to understand that the hardest work is just beginning. Hit a roadblock or fall short of expectations, and clients revert to the habits that created the problem.

Getting started is difficult (and sometimes easy), and keeping going is not easy either. Let’s focus on starting and staying consistent, because most adults have begun a fitness routine only to quit.

Why It’s Difficult To Keep Going

There are no definite answers as to why it isn’t easy to keep going, and I’m not trying to provide any. Many trainers have seen clients start with the best intentions and then give up.

Why is that?

Unless you have had your head in the sand or under a rock, eating lean protein, veggies, fruits, and healthy fats, along with some physical activity, is awesome. The issue lies not in knowing, but in doing. When I mention doing, I don’t mean perfectly, but consistently. More often than not, you engage in activities that benefit your health and fitness.

Do you think that if most people with access to all the bells and whistles regularly did something for their health and fitness, we would be in an obesity crisis?

So, why is it difficult to keep going but easy to start?

Starting Here And Now

I’ll get into the typical culprits for starting and not continuing any health and fitness program.

• Time or a perceived lack of it
• Injury
• Lack of education or knowledge
• High expectations that lead to quitting
• Money or lack of it
• Lack of results, real or perceived

But here’s one that often stops people in their tracks. Previous failures haunt them, and it jacks with their mindset. They do not think they can make it happen or have been scarred by a previous failure.

Before I share a mindset switch to help, let me tell you a story. Brenda, my client, is working toward fat loss. She dedicates herself to her workouts, but despite her efforts, she hasn’t seen any progress. This lack of progress is due to a combination of factors beyond her control and those she can manage.

Although her performance factors have improved off the charts, her weight hasn’t. Rather than dwell on it, here’s how I framed it.

“Let’s start from scratch and not compare this assessment to previous ones. Let’s start here and now with a clean slate.”

See what I did there? Start from where you are here & now. Those failed attempts are ancient history. Learn from it, don’t dwell on it, and get after it. If you have trouble taking the first step, look down at your feet, take a small one, and don’t look too far into the distance.

This mindset shift does wonders.

Wrapping Up

If you need help starting or continuing this simple but not easy mindset switch, it will put you in the present. Focusing on the here and now and taking small steps will lead you to success in health and fitness.

It all begins with your first step.