What is the biggest barrier to getting fit and how can you overcome it?
Probably the best way to overcome any barrier is to, firstly, know what it is. If you know what you’re dealing with you can plan ahead on how you will deal with it when it comes your way.
Getting into shape can be a constant battle with your body when you start, especially if you’ve been inactive for any length of time. The biggest barrier to fitness is simply getting started. This makes complete sense if you understand the Law of Inertia – an object at rest tends to stay at rest while an object in motion will tend to continue in that same motion unless acted upon by an outside force. Your body, in the case of starting a fitness program, is the object, and if it’s been “at rest” (sedentary is a nice way to put it, otherwise known as bone lazy) it’s naturally going to want to stay that way and it WILL take considerable force (from you and, if necessary, a competent fitness coach or personal trainer) to get it active.
This is a kind of chicken before the egg proposition – is your body or are you the barrier here? If you think of your body as an object and you’re the driving force, then it all becomes simple – not necessarily easy, but simple nonetheless. Your body is resisting change – it wants to stay on the couch. YOU are going to have to get it moving.
Here’s the (almost) no fail method:
- Hire a competent personal trainer to help get you started. This way you’ll have a team of two against the wily ways of your body. The trainer should know what he’s doing (or she as the case may be) so you can rest assured you won’t be wasting your time.
- Follow the trainer’s advice – do the extra work on your own, keep a food diary, drink the extra water and slow down on the alcohol. Ignoring your trainer’s advice is like shooting yourself in the foot.
- Ask questions, find people who are on a similar journey, join fitness forums online.
- Eat well – it might take planning out your weekly meals and making lunches in advance. Eating poorly is just asking for your body to kick you in the teeth and going on strike.
- Sleep well – getting enough rest is in the same category as eating well. You’ll get less complaints from a well-rested body.
- Drink enough water. This takes planning too. Don’t skimp on it – very often you think you need a hit of sugar when your body is actually thirsty. Leaving it until you feel parched is leaving it way too late. A good test: your urine should be clear.
Good luck in overcoming the biggest barrier to fitness. It can be done, it has been done countless times and you can do it too.
Feel free to email us at rudi@gofitnow.com if you want any more advice or help.
