Here’s a scene for you to think about for just a moment; the alarm blares at 6 a.m. The sky’s still dark, the air’s chilly, and you know this is the moment to get up, so you throw on those workout clothes and become the health legend you keep hyping up in your head. But instead, you pull the blanket tighter, convincing yourself it’s “too cold to start today” or “you’ll definitely do it later.” But you know in the back of your head that you won’t.
And it’s not because your body doesn’t want to move, it’s because your brain just pulled off its sneakiest move yet. Now, you can make your home into a super healthy haven, but it doesn’t mean anything if you’re going to let your brain take control, or at least let the fears in your brain take control. But in that case, what can you do?
Too Much Guilt
Guilt is like showing up to the gym and having someone stand behind you whispering, “You skipped last week, remember? Loser.” Does it help? Nope, not in the slightest. Does it make you feel worse? Absolutely. Maybe it’s guilt about past failed attempts, missed workouts, or choosing a pizza over kale, it sits there like emotional dead weight, keeping you stuck.
Oh, and here’s the kicker: guilt doesn’t make you healthier. It just keeps you in a cycle of feeling bad about yourself, which is not exactly prime motivation material.
Okay, if that somehow doesn’t work, then what actually works? Well, cutting yourself some slack. Seriously, a skipped workout isn’t the end of the world.
Anxiety and Insecurity is Everywhere
Anxiety has a flair for the dramatic, doesn’t it? It loves to scream things like, “Everyone in the gym is staring at you! They’re judging your outfit, your form, your very existence!” It doesn’t matter that literally no one cares about your treadmill speed because they’re too busy wondering if their squat looks weird.
Besides, it adds fuel to the fire when there are more than enough videos circling around online of people secretly being recorded. So you’re not to blame. Insecurity isn’t any better.
But here’s what your mind doesn’t tell you: nobody starts out confident. For example, the guy benching heavy weights? He started with an empty bar. The person running a marathon? They once thought a mile felt impossible. It’s easier said than done, but really don’t compare your journey to everyone else.
Procrastination
“I’ll start Monday.” Now, that one is a classic, right? It’s no different from those that say “I’ll start January 1st”. Well, procrastination is like a professional con artist, convincing you that Future You will magically be more motivated, more disciplined, and probably own a six-pack already. But how can Future You even exist if Present You is procrastinating all the time, right?
Seriously, you need to remember Future You isn’t a superhero. They’re the same you, just more annoyed because nothing’s changed. Plus, procrastination doesn’t come from laziness, it comes from fear. Usually, it’s the fear of discomfort, failure, or looking silly. So instead of starting, you avoid. It usually helps to just shrink the task, because then you’re not that uncomfortable.
Laziness and Exhaustion Are Similar
Calling yourself lazy feels easier than admitting you’re tired. It even goes for physical, mental, emotional, and sometimes all three. But on top of all of that, stress, burnout, and anxiety drain energy like nothing else, and when your brain is fried, even brushing your teeth can feel like an Olympic sport. Now, it happens to everyone, regardless of lifestyle.
For the most part, laziness and exhaustion are pretty intertwined. You can basically think of laziness as a “white flag” that your brain is waving. Just don’t beat yourself up about it, instead, figure out what’s making you exhausted (and no it’s not always physical either). For some, visiting a dispensary and finding ways to take the mental edge off can help bring a bit of calm back to the chaos (and sometimes even mental clarity too).
The “Not Good Enough” Lie That Needs to Go
If guilt, anxiety, and procrastination are teammates, the “not good enough” mindset is their coach. It’s the thought that says, “You’ll never be fit enough, strong enough, or disciplined enough to make this stick.” That was basically the premise of the Inside Out 2 movie.
And for what? To stop you from even trying. Like the idea or not, there’s no one out there that actually starts out good enough. No one is Hercules (and even in the Disney movie, he wasn’t good enough when starting out either).
