Week 35: Day 1

This week, Tyler talks about what's often the hardest part about starting an exercise journey: Day 1.

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I wanted to write this week about one of the most difficult parts about physical activity: Day 1. Day 1 of beginning an exercise journey. It’s challenging. It’s intimidating. It’s scary. It’s the first day of committing to a behaviour change. It creates the “I’ll just start this tomorrow” mentality in our brains. For many people, the idea of starting an exercise routine isn’t particularly enjoyable. Not everyone loves it. The shear thought of commencing an exercise routine is often what holds people back the most. Day 1’s can be an uphill battle and can be incredibly difficult.

I remember my first day starting in the gym. The night prior I could barely sleep. I was so nervous about what it would be like in the gym. All the other people who were “bigger” than me, judging me for being “smaller” than them. How could I ever compare? Maybe I just shouldn’t go at all and avoid embarrassment all together? I almost didn’t make my own Day 1, but conquering it was a huge milestone for me. It was one day down, another to go. Had I succumbed to my own Day 1, I’m not sure if I’d be where I am today in terms of my own fitness journey. Once I got through Day 1, I could commence Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, and so on. Each day was its own challenge, but I took it one step at a time. I tried to focus on each day, rather than becoming caught up with the end result. For those of us who are currently struggling with or need help in overcoming Day 1, how can we put this first day in our rearview mirror?

For starters: Begin with self-compassion. Recognize that other people struggle with Day 1 as much as you do. You’re not going through this alone and you’re not a failure for experiencing it. Be kind to yourself. Show yourself the same kindness as you’d show a close friend. Use positive words of affirmation. Going into Day 1 with self-compassion will put yourself at ease. There won’t be the pressure of unrealistic expectations and the fear of failure won’t appear so scary.

Next: Start small. Don’t go big on Day 1. Start with something small, manageable, and can be performed consistently over time. Day 1 could be purchasing a gym membership or putting on a pair of running shoes. It could be going for a 5 minute walk around the block. Maybe even driving to the swimming pool then turning back around to go home. The point is, make Day 1 as easy as possible. It’s already intimidating as it is, so why make it harder? I believe one of the reasons why Day 1 is so difficult is because we set unrealistic exceptions upon ourselves immediately. We expect the first day to consist of a 90 minute workout, a 10km run or walk, or 400m swim. Those high expectations set ourselves up to fail and make Day 1 scarier then it needs to be. Start Day 1 off with something you can do with ease. Once that’s completed, it makes each subsequent day a little bit easier.

Day 1 of an exercise routine is arguably the most difficult day you can have. Make it easier by showing yourself compassion and setting realistic expectations. Don’t start with something huge. Start with something small that isn’t scary or daunting. Prioritizing these two strategies will increase the chances of you conquering Day 1 to a significantly larger extent. Once you get through Day 1, it’s onto the next day with the same mentality.

Question: Day 1’s aren’t totally isolated to physical activity. They could also be in business, personal relationships, or entrepreneurial pursuits. When it comes to your next Day 1, how could you overcome it?

Until next week,

Tyler

Twitter: tcmakepeace

Website: tylermakepeace.substack.com

Instagram: tylertalks.blog

ICYMI: Check out last week’s article below!

Week 34 - Identifying your form of physical activity