Getting started is the hardest part of any new habit, especially working out. If you want to get going, pretend that beginning doesn’t exist and start mentally preparing yourself for the middle.
Photo by Colin Davis.
The psychological barrier of getting started is a tough one to get over. For that reason, advice site Barking Up the Wrong Tree suggests ignoring it entirely. Don’t focus on the pain of getting started. Focus on the benefits of being done:
It’s the same problem you face with any kind of procrastination. You think about how uncomfortable it is to get started… and so you don’t. Which is why a great solution to putting things off is a “dash.”
You make yourself work on whatever you’re dreading for 10 minutes… and often you realise once you get started that it ain’t so bad.
Don’t just think about the painful beginning. That’s not fair. Think about how good you feel when you’re making progress toward your goals.
This can also help with some of the identity issues you face when starting a workout. You might think of everyone else at the gym as “workout” people, but not yourself. In reality, the only thing that separates people who work out from those who don’t is, well, working out. If you avoid thinking of getting started as a big deal then before you know it, you’re working out and you are one of “those people”.
This Is The Best Way To Motivate Yourself To Exercise: 4 Proven Secrets [Barking Up the Wrong Tree]
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