Finding your why is more important than finding your how

If you’ve been struggling to get to the gym, we have a little tip for you that might help. Ready for it?

It’s not the how so much as it is the why.

For a lot of us, the reason we haven’t made it to the gym in a while is because it’s too far from the house, or the only time we can make it fit our calendar is lunch, or we can’t imagine paying that amount to go do something we hate...the list is endless.

But here’s the thing: as great as those reasons might be for not going, they’re actually excuses.

It’s not about the obstacles that stand in the way, it’s about the goal they’re obstructing.

Think about it: When you want to travel somewhere badly enough, you don’t let the distance put you off; when you see a car/bag/piece of tech you really want, the cost might make you shudder initially, but you forget about it once ownership is secured; and when you the only time you can schedule your mani-pedi is 7:00 AM, you’re up by 6:00 AM.

So the questions you need to ask yourself are first: what is your goal, and second, why that goal?

If your goal is to work out more often, why? What will that mean to you? If you’re trying to lose weight, what will weight loss help you with? If you’re trying to build your muscle strength, what is your end goal with that? Why does it matter to you?

Try writing your goals out:

‘I want to work out three times a week because _______.’

‘I want to lose weight because ______’

Fill in the blank.

Once you know what the goal is and why the goal matters, it’s much easier to take the steps you need to in order to make it happen.

And don’t get us wrong, we’re not saying that the gym still won’t be 10 minutes in the wrong direction, or that the lunch break won’t be the only convenient time; but it will be that much easier to make the decision to go anyway, because the end result is worth it.