Ignore the Beginning of Exercise Motivation
Getting started is the hardest part of any new habit, especially training. If you want to start, pretend that there is no beginning and start mentally preparing yourself for the middle.
The psychological barrier to getting started is difficult to overcome. For this reason, the advice site Barking Up the Wrong Tree suggests ignoring it entirely. Don’t focus on the pain of getting started. Focus on the benefits of doing:
This is the same problem that you face with any procrastination. You think about how awkward it is to start … and you don’t. This is why a great decision to procrastinate is a “leap forward”.
You force yourself to work on what you’re afraid of for 10 minutes … and often, once you start, you realize it’s not that bad.
Don’t just think about the painful beginning. This is not fair. Think about how good you feel as you progress towards your goals.
It can also help with some of the identification problems you run into at the start of your workout. You can think of everyone in the gym as “exercising” people, but not yourself. In fact, the only thing that separates people who exercise from those who do not is exercise. If you avoid thinking of starting out as a big deal, then before you know it, you play sports and become one of “those people”.
The Best Way to Motivate Yourself to Exercise: 4 Proven Secrets | Bark on the wrong tree