I haven’t missed a daily workout in almost 12 years. My workouts are a core piece of my morning routine. Exercise helps my cognitive function and focus, making it an essential ritual to start my day.
A morning workout in any form is a non-negotiable for me.
From the outside, this looks like a spectacular feat of discipline and consistency, which it is.
And, also, I am often hesitant about perpetuating the illusion that this is easy, or that it has reached the automaticity of habit.
The truth is, even after almost 12 years of consistency, this is not a habit. It’s not always easy. Sometimes I struggle to get going in the morning.
Even though I know how much it helps me in so many ways, there are days when I struggle to find my motivation.
Human beings are not machines. We are subject to the influences of our environment. News, people around us, hormonal fluctuations, illness, stress, injury, pain, work or life stressors all impact our energy levels.
It’s normal to have moments of inertia, where just getting started can feel like the heaviest lift of all.
What I’ve found is that this inertia often reflects some tension in the mind, where it’s pulling in different directions.
Sometimes the pull is between different modes of exercise; other times it might be pulling me between my workout and a long to-do list, or a creative spark that wants to be expressed.
Those pulls inevitably result in a standstill.
In those moments, sometimes I’ve resorted to ChatGPT to ask it to give me a workout so I can get out of decision paralysis. But I’ve found that more often, that approach further sucks me into the vortex.
Instead, the best way to get out of the freeze is to set a timer for 5 minutes and just start moving. Do the easiest thing that will get you out of the standstill: something that doesn’t require you to think, strategize, or plan.
It’s almost impossible to strategize your way out of inertia.
Once you’re going for 5 minutes, you can re-evaluate and create a more specific plan. But you have to get moving first.
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