I receive an email each week from James Clear, author of the very popular book, Atomic Habits. One part of the email is 3 Things to Think About and this week’s 3 things struck me as very relevant to the mindset needed to start and maintain a consistent exercise routine.
- A critical quality to develop in life is the willingness to try. You simply must find enough confidence to give it a go. The human mind is fabulous at learning. You will get better at whatever you practice. But before you can develop the skill to succeed, you must find the courage to attempt.
Starting something new can be intimidating. Walking into a gym for the first time can give rise to thoughts relating to being the least fit person there, or not knowing what to do faced with an array of machines, or not being able to get the machine you want. Your mind will come up with all sorts of reasons to NOT go to the gym.
At JCFit we start everyone with what we call a No Sweat Intro. This is simply a 15-20 minute chat where we’ll ask you about your goals, why those goals are important to you and how we might be able to help (we usually can!). We’ll walk you around the gym a little bit (you’ll notice a distinct lack of machines) and show you how we’ll get you started in a very non-intimidating way (we start with a series of 1:1 sessions) and make plans to measure your progress.
- When you think you are too old to do something new remember you will never be younger than you are right now.
This reminds me of the Chinese proverb that says the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago and the 2nd best time is now.
A functional fitness program that includes a broad range of strength and conditioning is something we could and should be doing for a very long time. I started doing this program 12 years ago and at 55 I am in better physical shape now than I was 20 years ago. I am stronger and leaner, with more energy and stamina. I have a very healthy body fat percentage, blood work all within normal ranges and take no medications. If I hadn’t started this 12 years ago, things would look very different for me today.
We have just started coaching a 76 year old gentleman who was encouraged to join by his 69 year old wife who began with us 2 months ago. It’s never too late to start!
Our youngest member is 5 years old. We also have a great Kids program.
- Grow fast, built to crash. Grow slow, built to last.
We don’t promise amazing results overnight but we do promise a lifetime of enjoyable, sustainable and effective changes in both your physical and mental health. If you have a very specific desire to do something faster, we can help through 1:1 coaching but if you are like the majority of our members who want to live in the wellness part of the curve pictured below, we can help!
Book one of those non-intimating No Sweat Intros today and let’s get that tree planted!
