If running is difficult, run more! Really!
I can relate starting a new fitness routine or exercise program to new experiences at my job. I have a lot more of the job related “how to deal with it successfully” experiences to draw from to make the fitness experience better.
You know how getting a new project at work is exciting? The opportunity is exclusive, there is a selection process for who gets to work on the project, and there are all kinds of buzz around it. It’s either top secret so you feel privileged to be involved or its’ a HUGE deal and you are on the ‘A” team!
Then it happens, the kickoff session which includes the first list of deliverables. Things start to get real and challenging. There are personalities, work styles, pace, a budget, and a schedule to consider. It suddenly feels like you are walking through quicksand! But you have done this many times so you use tools to pull yourself through and soon you get past that anxiety and it is smooth sailing.
This is how trying something new feels in the fitness world. Feeling uncomfortable is normal. However, we live in a world of unlimited possibilities. It’s time to get past the fear.
So let’s walk this through. You are on the team, you know what you have to do, what in the world can you do to get this tight chest, close to panic attack feeling out of your body every time you consider the next session? Take these three steps and it will help you break through that feeling.
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Make a schedule: set a regular time and place to workout to help create a routine. (run, yoga, fitness class at the gym)
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Engage a friend to workout with you or introduce yourself to one new person each time you go until you know the entire team. This either gives you accountability or builds your workout community.
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Commit to a specific number of workouts. Having this short term achievable goal makes it more possible to accomplish because you can say, “Just a few more and I will have made my commitment.” Then you will also be to the place where you can start to measure success by your performance and start setting performance goals.
These things can give you something to look forward too. In every situation, you are either teaching or learning. Learn from what you see, what you hear. Share your experiences. You never know how much you inspire people until you start to connect, to share. These simple steps organize you so that you can GET there.
Those conflicts mentioned above are still going to happen, inside your head! The difference is: you will have a plan, a place and people expecting you. Now get out of your own way and GO DO IT! Dedicate 15 to 30 minutes to planning your health, right now.
The key here is to make a plan to get comfortable. Soon the quicksand will feel like beach sand and you will be ready to take things to the next level. Don’t forget the old adage, “To be really good at something you have to be really bad at it first.”
