Brian White | Fitness

This is a big weakness of mine, and I’m sorta of embarrassed to admit it.

I sometimes do this thing where I wait for the “perfect” time” to start important projects.

Or to cut negative people out of my life.

Or to do things I know will make the biggest difference in my life.

Of course, it’s a little embarrassing to admit this, but I am willing to bet that you sometimes do the same thing.

And seeing that it’s January, this always seems to be the “perfect time” to start an exercise program, right?

I believe it’s human nature to always “wait for the perfect time.” But, as a trainer, I hear this all too often.

Why? For some it is a very easy justification to just start next week or next month or only on January 1st. For others perfectionism serves as great protection against potential criticism and failure in the gym.

That’s why I hate all or nothing thinking — if I don’t do this perfectly then it’s awful — it usually gets you nothing.

The truth is there is no future, perfect time to start an exercise program, and there never will be. You might get lucky one day and have a magic exercise moment where everything comes together — your favorite song comes on the radio, you have your favorite workout outfit on, your favorite treadmill is open and you bang out a session like you were floating in the air. But, that one moment is a very small part of the overall picture.

The best thing you can do is begin now. Here. Today. This second. Because all you have is right now. All you have to do is start. Don’t get bogged down with details. Don’t worry about if you should do intervals or “slo-go” cardio for your goals. Just get on the treadmill. Don’t think about what kind of exercises you should be doing, just get out there and do some. In fitness, more so than in any other industry, we tend to have very strong opinions and arguments for certain exercises, programs and philosophies, and very often they completely contradict each other. The truth is that it matters less what you do (especially when starting an exercise program) and more that you just do it and continue to do it each day — whatever it ends up being. Just move!

In the end, if you constantly find yourself “waiting for the perfect time,” the following tips might help.

Revise Your Expectations. Recognize that there is no perfect time.

Carve out time, even if it’s imperfect. Nobody is going to hand you the time to exercise, you’ll need to take it.

Just start. Find the smallest, easiest thing you can do right now and just do it.

Do something, anything. Use the philosophy of Ready, Shoot, Aim. Over-thinking it will breed inaction.

Expect Resistance. It’s normal, just push through it. There are always going to be a million reasons to justify stopping. Don’t give in, and it will become easier.

Get support. Whether it’s a friend, a workout buddy or a trainer, find someone that will fire you up until you can fly on your own.