Where Do I Begin

Question: Where do I start? I have been out of the game of health and fitness for so long, I don’t even know where to begin. I am overweight, pre-diabetic and have pretty much no energy after I get home from work. As a health coach, this is something that I hear almost daily.

The truth of the matter is this. It boils down to a couple things. First and foremost is that you have to make a decision. Deciding if the current “you” is acceptable or do you genuinely want something different in your life. “Making a decision” in this moment can start a cascade of favorable events propelling you forward.

Immediately

after making a decision that you are wanting and willing to make a change, the next step is to create movement. From the smallest to the largest completed personal goals, they all start with these two conscious efforts of making a decision and creating movement. One does not have to see the entire staircase to take the first step. Believing that you must know everything about the destiny before beginning a journey is not generally necessary and is can even be a deterrent.

When it comes to fitness, it is so important to realize “you” have the power to make the decision. We have been led to believe that health and fitness is not necessarily in our control. We are told that it is genetics, or we become overwhelmed with the conflicting information from so called experts. It might be fear of change that holds us back from taking that first step. Whatever the reason, we ultimately have to come to a conclusion that we have more control than we may realize and then decide that you are willing to make a change.

One last note, it is that it is often thought that we need to have a high level of motivation to begin a journey of health and fitness. I could not disagree more. Successes of all types are started with varying degrees of motivation. As one sees small wins in a journey, motivation will likely continue to grow. Establishing favorable lifestyle habits during the process is much more important than relying on motivation.

Bottom line, if you have even thought about the possibility of beginning a fitness journey, make a decision to start today! Follow up with creating some movement, maybe that is nothing more than lacing up your shoes for a walk or making a phone call to visit with a health coach. Any movement will likely open additional doors to find the right path for you and your journey.