July 11, 2013
Change Your Life Today !
Hi Everyone,
I get so many messages asking for motivation & help. For everyone out there looking for the motivation to get started – please understand that the beginning of your journey is a tremendously exciting time.
Your surroundings have to be ready to help you get focused & in the right mindset to make positive changes.
So, tidy & prep your training space, get your food on track, throw out those naughty foods that don't support your goals, drink more water & move with us everyday single day.
Notice we didn’t call this post “How to see immediate effects from your exercise”, because you can’t really do that.
In the comments following our first article on Procrastination and Fitness, Nadia very helpfully pointed out that “So many people are motivated by appearance, that they forget the other IMMEDIATE effects of exercise.”
Getting Over Appearance
It’s no secret that appearance is fundamental to finding further motivation to keep exercising. We know this more than anybody — there’s a reason we post videos of workouts, of course. It’s not just that videos are easier to follow at home (though they are), it’s also that seeing us train & struggle just like you & push with you is amazing motivation. We’ve talked about the power of metrics before, and there’s nothing like a good set of before and after photos to keep you motivated. They’re amazing. But appearance can’t be everything.Why We Need to Focus on Other Stuff, Too
The main problem is simply time — it normally takes a couple of months before you start to see real results from your exercise. You might lose some weight, you might see some muscles develop — but on average, you really need to give yourself sixty days before you take a long, hard look in the mirror (and if you can go further than that, more power to you). That’s why, even though appearance is an amazing motivator, it’s not the motivator you want to be constantly drawing from when first starting out. As Nadia (in the comments) said, there are other, immediate effects of exercise, and those are the ones you need to grab onto in the early going:- psychological benefits like stress/anxiety reduction
- better moods and self-esteem
- just feeling happier
- getting more stuff done on that post-workout high
Saving the Appearance Stuff For Later
It’s too bad that the best motivation — your appearance — is the hardest to quantify and use. But that’s always the way it is, right? If it weren’t hard to do, and hard to begin, everyone would be fit, and healthy, and there’d be no need for diet books, exercise videos, or sites like ours. But we all know it’s not an easy road. One way to make the appearance ‘motivator’ an even more useful thing in the future is to take a photo of yourself on Day 1, and then not refer to that photo, and notgo stare at yourself in the mirror post-workout, and not obsess over how your body is changing — for a full 60 days. It’s tough to get the discipline to do that, but if you can? You’re in for a big reward when you hit that 60-day mark. Just getting up off of your ass and trying these 12-15 minute workouts each day is a huge step forward – a major accomplishment in itself. Then you have to look forward to the physical changes that will be rocking your body very quickly. Beginners always see fast changes – take these early shifts in your strength, power and confidence as a massive motivational boost. We are here to tell you that you can do it – there are tens of thousands of you all around the world that come together here to train everyday – and they all took those first steps. You can too. This is your life – nothing is more sacred or precious. Celebrate it by reaching to a new level of empowerment and experience the blossoming of your spirit, mind and body. Enjoy your training, and if these are your first few steps congratulations on changing your life!Over To You…
Have any of you successfully pushed out the ‘appearance’ factor when first getting started? How have you managed to not focus entirely on how you look for those first 30, 60, or 90 days, even if changing your appearance is a primary reason for getting fit? Tell us about your strategies! If you haven't trained today .... Show yourself you can do this & get up & go for it. www.dailyhiit.com L xx Click Here For the latest Motivational Pictures Fresh from across the web