When I was in my 20s, I was an athlete. I was pretty good at it. But my career ended prematurely with a serious back injury. Months turned into years and although I always felt like I had unfinished business with athletics, I didn’t get back to it.
At the time I convinced myself that I was too busy, moving to London, working hard in the city, partying hard. You know…
But in reality, it was fear that was holding my back.
…Fear of hurting my back again.
…Fear of failure.
…Fear whether I’d still be any good anymore.
…Not knowing where to start even.
It took me over 15 years before I finally restarted. In my 40s.
I’m sharing this because I KNOW there are women out there who feel the same about their health and fitness journey. I see fear and uncertainty holding people back all the time.
Here’s an example: We’ve had 11 people sign up to get started with Melita Fitness in since the New Year. That’s amazing, right? But do you know how any actually booked a slot and showed up?
ONE.
(She loved it by the way and we’re super happy that’s she’s joining us!)
The other 10 probably talked themselves out of it and decided that:
… they’re not fit enough.
… the classes aren’t for them
… Chris sounds horrible and scary (I’m not, honest)
… this week is just too busy / rainy / cold
I’m sure there’s some very valid reasons for not getting started too. But that might be the 10%. Not the 90%.
So if this is you, if you have been “thinking” about getting started but not quite getting there, I urge you to stop and think what’s holding you back.
Really. What is it?
Because excuses are often driven by fear, by insecurity, or by uncertainty. And they are holding you back.
And self-limiting beliefs (often held on an unconscious level) are also holding you back and creating a mismatch between what we say we want and what we actually do. I wrote some more about this last week.
So, be honest with yourself: are you being held back by fear, uncertainty and limiting beliefs? And if so, how can you nip it in the bud?
Sometimes you just gotta start. Make one step… Book the class, give it a try. Rope in a friend to make it easier. Reach out to me (or anyone else) for additional accountability…
What’s the worst that could happen?
