I have spoken to a few people over the last couple of weeks who wanted to get started on a health & fitness drive but were struggling to get going. They felt the size of the task ahead meant there was almost no point in trying. One had diabetes Type 2, another high blood pressure and all of them had weight to lose yet little to no experience of exercise. They had not been in the “Health & Fitness Game” for years. So what do you say to someone in this situation?
For me, the conversation needs to start with belief, I am not a huge believer in the need for you to believe that results will come, mainly because I have seen people achieve things with me they never thought was possible at the start. But what you do need to believe in is possibility. If you did actions A,B,C you may be able to produce results X,Y, Z. If you believe in possibility then you only need to ask yourself if you are prepared to run an experiment to see if it is true. This is true even if you haven’t done anything for years and even if you are really in a bad way right now.
So in a conversation I would point out examples of people who exactly like you who transformed their body and health. For the above chats I showed this one lady a few examples of how people her age and weight had reversed their type 2 diabetes. I directed her to my article on “The Fast Fix TV Show” where people transformed their diabetes in just two months. I hammer home this point that there is no physical reason why you could not be one of these transformations.
Sounds good but……
When someone is open to the possibility they could change and that results could happen they then face the fear/dread/hatred of thinking about what actions they would have to do as part of this experiment. They have been out of the game for too long (or never been in it).
I think this is where people go wrong, they simply flash back to a usually mistaken image of what they need to be doing or some bad memory of what they used to do. This is a mistake that keeps people stuck. You do not need to do any particular methodology to begin, the initial goal should simply be doing slightly more this time next week than today. That could be as little as taking a gentle 10 minute walk or adding in one tiny bit of healthier food without changing anything else in your diet.
People dismiss this as pointless but it is actually the route anyone who is struggling should go down. Action leads to more action (however small) and great things happen from successive small actions day after day. I talked about this last week in “The Talent Code” Book Review.
So the conversation I had the other day I said to them, you do not need to join the gym nor give up drinking. Are you prepared to walk a little? Would you be up for one tiny change to your food? This is all you need to begin, no great commitments, no gym contracts signed, no dread nor fear in sight… What are you prepared to do?
Sounds good again but that won’t get results…
There are two elements in changing your health and fitness level, a plan to change the body and the person who has to follow this plan. The whole world is focused on the plan yet almost all my advice centres on the person. This is because results are directly proportional to how well a plan is followed and a plan is followed to the level of the that person. For someone who has been out of it for years I find it baffling they are even considering some harder line methods like an exercise programme or diet plan. Let’s get into the game and then worry about these things (if ever need to worry at all). So yes, even these small steps get results because they are the initial movements on creating the person who can achieve great things.
Another element of making simple steps is that it shines a light on the consequences of your current patterns of behaviour. Most people just picture the doom and gloom of trying to get healthier without acknowledging the pain and discomfort your current lifestyle is bringing you. Not taking any action and staying “out of it” is giving you aches, pains, low energy, depressed mood, health complaints, skin issues and much more. It causes you to miss out on things in life you are not even aware of. Tiny changes show you some of these possibilities. This is the ignition of the fire in the process of change.
The final element I tell people who are completely out of the swing of things is to not do this alone. Changing behaviours and who you are is not that hard a process believe it or not. It is more that so few people can do it on their own. As humans our primal learning pattern is copying what we see and interact with. This is why we need other people for support and structure in which to change. You can watch videos for hours about health, you can read many books too but sometimes just being next to someone who is living that life can condense those hours into minutes when it comes to behaviour change.
So If you feel a million miles away from ever getting into shape or changing your health use a person, or group of people to give you a lift back to the land of action. Many options exists from simply chatting to a friend of your intentions, joining a class, a support group, hiring a personal trainer or joining a online community.
There are plenty of people who have been where you are and made amazing changes. There is nothing stopping you from being the next. Believe in possibility, make small steps that focus on developing you and put yourself around other people. You will soon find yourself in a very different position and place.
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Battersea park was created in 1858. For me and many others Battersea Park is considered one of London’s most interesting Parks housing Battersea Zoo, Battersea Evolution Exhibition Centre and right next to Battersea Park Dogs & Cats Home and the iconic Battersea Power Station
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