Getting Started and Driving On

Hey folks...

Today I want to talk about getting started.  What it means, how you do it, and how it is probably the most important part of any diet or exercise plan.

I hear so many people saying things like "I'll start my diet plan tomorrow" or "We're starting our exercise plan Monday".  These are all great in theory, unfortunately in reality THEY DON'T WORK!

If there is one thing I've learned through countless trial and error, it is that if you don't START NOW, you aren't very likely to start at all.  It could be something extremely simple such as eating an apple instead of a pancake, or doing 3 pushups instead of lifting that remote.  Whatever you do, DO IT NOW!  When you start doing these things your mind will switch into work mode.  You will probably do even more than you set out to do in the first place.  But you won't do anything if you never start.  And you can NEVER see results if you never get started!

One other thing I want to stress is the simple fact that most people who get started "slip up".  They eat something they think they shouldn't or skip exercising for several days and get out of sync.  They then revert back to their original thinking of "I'll start back on Monday" or whenever.  Unfortunately for most, they won't get started back at all and because of the stress of losing what they already had they think they cannot go through the hard work again.  They also get in the mindset that because they slipped up once they might as well continue indulging.

This simply is not positive thinking.  HERE IS THE TRUTH!  This is something I have learned through repeated testing.  Even if you slip up, you are not out of the race.  I think of it like this:  If I workout hard for three weeks and then slip up, sure I feel bad in the moment, but guess what, I will be back to work the next day trying that much harder.  What happens is that because I keep pushing and pushing, eventually I develop the very thing I was striving so hard for in the first place!  Slip ups are merely road blocks on the path to good health.  They are obstacles that must be overcome! 

I will probably never stop having slip ups, but they are learning experiences.  They are chances for me to see where I made a mistake or poor choice so that I can correct it next time.  But even if you slip up a million times, you will still achieve what you are reaching for if you keep trying no matter what.  It may take a little longer, but you will still get there!