Convincing yourself to exercise is one of the most tiring conversations you will ever have. In fact, it’s probably more draining than going for an actual jog – the constant back and forth is exhausting and without a doubt is the reason most of us never really overcome the mental blocks that exercise holds over us.
The easiest way not to have to go through this inner turmoil that is accompanied by tsunami size waves of guilt is to throw your training schedule in the bin and write it off as a bad joke; out of sight, out of mind. The problem with this very common pattern of behavior is that it never really lets us achieve any sort of physical goals we have set for ourselves. Deep down, we know this is the case and a feeling of self-loathing sets in that eventually becomes so embedded in our subconscious.
Grab a matt and blast those abs with this quick home workout #WorkoutAtHome #Abworkout pic.twitter.com/qtVySLZWaR
— Myprotein (@MyproteinUK) April 11, 2020
Sure, Netflix and chill will go a long way to silencing that nagging voice that tells us we are lazy and overweight but even then, the reminders will surface whilst we are at our most comfortable on the couch. All it takes is a scene of Mr wavy mullet Joe Exotic the Tiger King without a tee-shirt on to send us crashing back down into despair and fearing the worst that we will end up looking like that because we’re unable to get off the couch.
We then dismiss ourselves as useless and weak because we’re unable to follow an elaborate exercise regime but in reality, those are mental blocks we have put in the way – no one did it for us. We instantly write ourselves off after viewing Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest Instagram workout which he says with is very simple, but straight away, we sternly tell ourselves we won’t be able to do that.
The truth, however, is that the world’s best athletes also face a daily internal conflict about whether to train or not. But their incentive is of course that if they don’t, they will be fined an eye-watering amount.
Take the Manchester United manager, for example, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Before the 2019/2020 season started, he threatened to ax all the players who arrived back from their holidays overweight. That incentive has seen the Old Trafford side excel this season and run more than any other team. This has, in turn, paid some serious dividends as United are now favorites in the latest FA Cup betting after making the quarter-finals. Proof that once again when you set strict goals, you get world-class results.
Morning workout with a cycling session….these wheels are on fire 🔥 😂💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/lcHnUbGQ8m
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) April 27, 2020
Sure, it may take some time before we can do a million kettlebells in a Madrid mansion like Ronaldo, but all it takes to break the habit is quite literally putting one foot in front of the other. Even making daily walking an exercise routine is a fantastic start and will immediately spur you on to do more. The sense of pride you get from a three-mile walk will be the motivation you need to stay active.
The key thing to remember is that exercise is all relative to the shape you are in. You have to start somewhere and as we are all tired of hearing, Rome wasn’t built in a day. So get outside and begin to make the biggest change of your life.
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