A positive practice that is definitely worth passing on is visualization. Everyone should use visualization. Envisioning our world within our mind can be irreplaceable to our success. In relation to exercise start with the big aspects first. Think about what you ultimately want to accomplish through exercise then work backwards. From your ultimate, long-term goal, envision the smaller (short term) goals to stay focused. Then, think about what you are going to do today to move closer to those goals. What will you do right now, this very moment to assist these steps – it can be as simple as making a commitment to workout or eat healthier. Start-off right, start NOW!
Visualization is so important to successful exercise. If it is overlooked or neglected working out will become like trying to hit a baseball with one hand- it’s really difficult! Starting out, if you do end up stalling, sputtering or even stopping, have piece of mind that you can always start over – just like a mulligan in golf or a do-over. If you have trouble starting, constantly getting discouraged, take some time, a day or so, regroup and start fresh once you are ready. Time may be continuous, but fitness can always restart and it will – most likely many times. The more persistent you are, especially in the beginning, the less failure becomes a possibility. Don’t let yourself give up or be content with only a few workouts. Think of a track runner at the beginning of a race, they never sprint off the line, stop after 500 feet, walk away and are content with doing so. They always want to finish the race, even if it is in last place. You should take on this mentality with exercise. Don’t just sprint off the start line, then stop after a week content with what you have accomplished. Finish the race! Don’t worry about what place you will finish compared to others. Just finish and you will be able to look back at where you came from and say, “I’m so glad I didn’t stop way back there!”
When I did TFA, we called this backwards planning. It works really well. I think the key thing is setting an overarching, “main” goal that seems absolutely impossible–then breaking it down into steps. I think of it as a ladder and usually put thought into what resources (money, time, support, mindset, etc) it will take to achieve those small goals.