We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit. - Aristotle
We all know we should exercise more. I'm not going to explain all the health benefits because you already know them, instead I'm going to teach you how to start exercising more. The key is to think in terms of the snowball effect. A small snowball, pushed from the top of a mountain will slowly roll down, growing bigger and building up more speed as it goes. Start small and build up momentum as you go. One is infinitely better than zero, therefore you should think of exercise in the same way. Doing one push up a day instead of zero in infinity better, going from 1 push up to 2 is 100 % better, The start is where you make the biggest gains (In terms of percentage), keep the bar low enough that it's not even a question of if you can do it, you just do it. If the thought of an hour at the gym seems too much, start with 10 minutes. The important thing is that you treat that 1 push up or 10 minute gym session as a completed goal, anything else is a bonus. Be proud of yourself for starting as this is the hardest part. And as you learned before, ending happy will increase your chances of wanting to return. Think in terms of compound interest, a little each day adds up. Nothing each day doesn't.
For the next week
1. Do (at least) one push up/sit up or squat
2. Walk outside for 5 minutes
3. Notice how often you surpass these goals.
4. How good do your feel in general after exercising?
Journal Questions
1. What exercises have you done today?
2. How does that make you feel?
3. What exercises will you do tomorrow?
