“How do I stop just sitting here? How do I stop doing this and just go to the gym”.

This is an exact quote from a nutrition coaching client of mine who got home from work and found themselves stuck on the couch. Sitting there, she knew she felt like shit, but, she didn’t know how to do something else. She felt stuck in a forward-moving cycle of inaction. When she asked me “how do I stop doing this and just go to the gym - because I always feel better when I am up and definitely once I am working out” my answer may have seemed too simple.

“Take action.”

Nothing changes without action. Just as an object in motion stays in motion without an interrupting force, an object at rest stays at rest without action.

There is no substitute for this. Even if someone came by and asked you to move, you’d still have to do physically do it. Even if I told her to go to the gym, she’d still have to decide to take action. Even if the house was on fire, she’d still have to choose to act. And that’s it. Action.

The beauty of action is that, as previously stated, once in motion, it is often easier to keep going than stop. It is easier to keep smoking than quit. It is easier to keep eating than stop. it is easier to binge-watch TV than go to bed. We have ALL done at least one of these. Positive action is not different.

Start by taking action and watch what happens. Watch the compounding effects of being in motion. experience how much easier it is to keep going than to stop after a few “reps”.

This is not a tough love post. Instead, I hope it is a brick wall moment. Where we stop and realize it's simpler than we think. Where we, at least for now, notice that action is easy and at our fingertips/shoelaces.

TL;DR?

If in doubt, take action.