Getting yourself fit and healthy is one of those pieces of your lifestyle that makes everything else better.
It makes your work better. It makes your relationships better. It improves your confidence and productivity. It allows you to handle stress more effectively. It provides you with a better outlook on life and gives you more clarity. It improves your sports performance and helps you fight off and recover from illness and injuries.
A great way to get a feeling for this is to imagine the opposite- how would you experience all these things if you were excessively overweight, had no energy, felt unhealthy and de-conditioned to the point that daily life was a bigger struggle than it should be due to your choices?
Briefly bring 2 people too mind. One who is fit and healthy and enjoys a high quality of life and another who fits the description above. If you had to choose who is happier, less stressed, more content in their work, has better meaningful relationships, etc., which one would it be- no need to let me know as I think we’d all pick the same one.
The point I’m trying to make is that getting yourself fit and healthy is such a worthy focus to have in your life yet so many people struggle with it.
In our facility we have people from all walks of life:
- CEO’s of companies
- Mothers and fathers with 3-5 kids
- Self employed business owners
- People with medical conditions
- People who smoke or used to smoke
- People who hadn’t exercised for 20 years before they came to us
- People with severe injuries
- People who travel to Europe and the US on a weekly basis (that’s a tough travel schedule)
One of the things that they all have in common is that they got started and kept going. And getting started can be one of the hardest steps to take for so many people.
Fear, confidence, uncertainty, negative past exercise experiences, busy schedules, family and work commitments and peer pressure to stick to the status quo of their social circles are just some of the reasons that can make people put off getting started.
The time isn’t right so they wait until it is. But if there is one golden nugget of wisdom that I can give you today, it’s that the time is never 100% right to get started on anything. And because a lot of people never accept this, they never end up really getting started with a true commitment to changing their lifestyle.
Most people will get started on their health & fitness goals when:
- Monday comes
- work quietens down
- the local gym has a great offer
- don’t have to travel as much
- the school holidays end
- the school holidays start
- the weather clears up
- they don’t have any niggles
- their shift pattern changes at work
- their energy levels pick up again
- they quit smoking
- the house gets finished
- there isn’t as much pressure from their family and friends
- they change jobs
- college finishes
- the the new year kicks in
- Christmas/Easter/the holidays are over
- They get motivated
- they can afford it
- the stars align in the night sky!!!!!!
And because life never stops happening, they never truly get started except for a few short-lived spurts here and there.
Of course there are people who are in very challenging situations due to no fault of their own and I have no problem admitting I’d struggle if I was in their shoes. This post is aimed at those of you who have no valid reason not to enjoy the benefits that a healthy and active lifestyle brings with it.
As an example, yesterday after work I went home and spent 3o minutes doing roly-poly’s and handstands with my daughter in the garden. I talk to fathers who tell me they cant even kick a ball 3 minutes before running out of breath due to eating crap all day, smoking, carrying excessive weight, etc.
There’s wisdom in the pic below when it comes to your health & fitness goals (and you can tell he takes it seriously!!)
Enjoy the rest of your week.
Steve
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