Taking the First Step
Everyone has their own journey through life. This is filled with their own unique and very personal experiences. An unfortunate characteristic of society these days is that these experiences and situations in life take away from the importance of maintaining a physically active life. The habit is lost and their health and strength begin to deteriorate and cause problems later in their lives. Some people never even had a habit of being active. Being sedentary is an easy way for people relax from their jobs, or escape from the day to day. But we all understand the problems with being sedentary and the necessity to break from that kind of lifestyle and embrace a habit of activity.
It's easy for someone who has been active their entire life to keep going, they don't understand the struggle to change habits and muster up some motivation. So how do you take the first step? How does someone who has been thinking about training, playing with the idea of running a 5k, or wishing they could change their lives actually turn those thoughts, ideas, and dreams into reality?
Though the process for each person will be distinct to every individual, I want to talk about some ideas that can help change thoughts into action! One unique perspective of coaches and trainers is learning about their clients decided to jump from doing nothing to doing something. And from there, they have to develop a plan and work with the client constantly to keep them consistent and motivated. Taking that first step has come in the form of many reasons. For some people, a comment from a co-worker or family member flips the switch, other people watching a favorite athlete accomplish something extraordinary can be the push to activity. There are some things that can just really impress a person to start working out without any more help. For others, the process requires a little more effort.
-Get a friend. Someone at the same or close to the same level as you of personal fitness and make an agreement together to push each other. Often times when other people are counting on our participation, we feel more need to fulfill our commitment.
-Start reading about fitness every day. The more you make it a part of your daily life the more you will develop a desire to act on your new knowledge. Subtle changes in habits involving the desired goal will provide a great deal of motivation to get you started
-Invest in training. For some people the investment of money is a powerful motivator to make sure you get the value out of your purchase.
-Register for an event. Obviously give yourself 6 months to a year for preparation depending on the event. When you sign up for something you feel more committed to get it done!
-Don't forget to call the local gyms and trainers. Talking with them can spark enough interest to meet and eventually get started on a program. People often comment that they find their trainers just on an initial contact and can tell if they are a good fit within a couple minutes. For personal training you really want to enjoy being around them.
Taking that first step is the most important. If you never take that first step, you take away every chance for accomplishing great things in your own life. It's never too late to enjoy a healthy fit life. It's never too late to start on your fitness journey!
Every Day... A Little Stronger
