Take the first step...

A friend of mine sent me this quote this morning and it really had me thinking. With today being January 20th, I thought I’d check to see how many days most people keep their New Years Resolution. The answer shocked me a bit! 12 DAYS!!! That’s all! Which is why this post hit me hard…the average person is choosing a life they wanted to change just 20 days ago. The sad part is that I see this with patients too…I see the excitement when they first choose a different way of thinking but then they start to question if eating healthy, exercising, choosing holistic healthcare will actually make the changes in their life. And they resort back to what they feel is “safe”…their old patterns.

Our brains do not like change because it knows that if you keep your old habits that it can stay in autopilot. It knows exactly when to get frustrated in the morning with getting the kids ready for school and out the door, what to expect at work and then when to feel exhausted getting home from work. I’m sure there are plenty of you reading this who have arrived at work and you can’t remember the drive at all…that’s your brain going into autopilot. Changing things up, like getting up 30 minutes earlier each day to workout adds a bit of stress into our bodies because it’s change. But working out also charges our “brain’s battery.”

Mel Robbins says that you have about 5 seconds to take action before our brain will go into doubt. It’s important that you know when you think of something that you really want to do…you have about 5 seconds to take the first step. And I think we all have heard this before but taking the first step can be the hardest! So if you are looking to take the first step in working out regularly in the morning then make sure to set your alarm clock early, set out your clothes, decide what workout you’ll do the night before. All of these things will make it easier for you to get out of bed first thing in the morning.

The goal is to take the first step!