This section covers motivation and how to tackle resistance; how the employment of routines and healthy habits can make goals achievable, and how to track that progress.
It is only human that there are days that you don't feel like carrying out your regular exercise. Everyone tells them self on occasion, "I'm not feeling it today", and that’s okay. Sometimes we truly do need breaks. However, if you notice yourself trying to avoid hardship, rationalise that behaviour, and go along with it regularly, that resistance has to be broken by resetting your routine and getting back on track.
A battle is only ever won with careful planning- especially a battle against your own brain. Plan your workout by identifying the best time in the day for you. For some, this is the morning immediately after waking up. For others, it’s after their evening meal. Commit to it. The more you do your regular workout routine, the more of an edge you get over that natural-born resistance and aversion to hardship. Eventually, that resistance will no longer exist, and your daily workout becoming part of your routine will feel eternally rewarding and enjoyable. This in turn aids in strengthening your mind, and you will see the benefits of this having a positive impact on other aspects of your life.
For further reading on 'resistance', see the following article, or consider purchasing Steven Pressfield's insightful book tackling themes of resistance being "the devil within".
Your workout routine will become a manageable and enjoyable daily experience; you just have to start.
Start by choosing something that is approachable and repeatable. This could be as simple as one push-up, one squat, and one second of planking a day. (Seriously). - This will become effective, as long as you're doing it once a day everyday. Often it's the pattern of a successive streak that keeps you performing effectively. Once you build a routine, you can scale it up as and when you are ready.
Tracking is essential for gaining and maintaining results. I recommend a spreadsheet-form workout journal that you date and fill either green or red. Consider having a brief description of what you did each day, and how you felt before, during, and after your workout session. This allows you to track your progress effectively, notice improvements, and keep motivated. It could, however, just be as simple as a tick or cross on a piece of paper.