How I Stopped Letting Emotions Control My Fitness Journey

to put it simply, I no longer gave myself the option, I make a plan and I stick to it. There is no more negotiating with myself, no more debating with myself every day if I am going to go to the gym or not. I made a plan and I stick to it weather I feel like it or not. and most of the time I do not feel like it.

But something that I have learned is starting the desired behavior is usually the hardest part. If I make it to the gym the likelihood of me finishing my workout is above 90% the times where I don't finish my work out after I actually physically made it to the gym, it was because I was genuinely exhausted and my body couldn't workout. so, I make a plan, I show up, and if I genuinely can't perform, then I let myself go home. But I show up first because the majority of the time I am just trying to take the easy way out.

But that doesn't mean those thoughts don't stop showing up. Something that I genuinely say in my mind is "shut up". here is an example. I wake up, I said I was going to go to the gym in the morning and do stair master, the thoughts start to come.... "You don't have to go, you're tired you should go back to bed, you can just do this later you don't have to do it right now..." I respond by hearing those thoughts while I get my gym clothes on, while I get in my car, while I drive to the gym, and I tell them to shut up while I follow my plan. No matter how much I don't want to, or how much my thoughts try to make me believe that it's not worth it, or that I don't have the energy for it, I follow my plans instead of my emotions. 

Part of this also comes down to experience, I know that if I follow my plan instead of those thoughts and emotions that I will be in a better place emotionally after I do my workout and I will be grateful that I didn't listen to the doubts I was having. 

so, I follow the plan and not my feelings. That alone has made significant differences to how consistent I have been in the gym. The number of workouts I would have missed out on if I hadn't made this shift is more than I can count.