Starting a new fitness routine is exciting. You’ve found the right gym, you’ve committed to sessions, you’re ready to transform. But here’s the thing that most people don’t talk about: the first part of creating change is actually deciding to do it.
Sounds obvious, right? But it’s not just about signing up. It’s about getting really clear on what you want to achieve and then keeping that front of mind every single day.
Write That Shit Down
Here’s a fact that might surprise you: when you write down your intentions, your chances of achieving them increase by 400%. That’s not motivational fluff, that’s Dr. Pankaj Naram’s research.
So grab a pen and write down exactly what you want. Don’t worry if the goal feels too far out of reach. Don’t listen to that inner voice (we call it your Sneaky Mofo) that tells you it’s ridiculous or too hard. Just write it down.
Break your goals into three categories:
- Immediate (short term) – What can you nail in the next few weeks?
- Medium term – Where do you want to be in a few months?
- Long term – The big vision. What does success really look like?
Once you’ve written your list, put it somewhere you’ll see it every single day. Your bathroom mirror. Your fridge. Your phone wallpaper. Somewhere unavoidable.
The Science Bit
There’s some neural pathway stuff happening here. When you keep your desires and motivations fresh in your mind by looking at them daily, your intentions become more than wishful thinking. This consistent revision, combined with new actions, re-patterns the pathways of your brain and embeds empowered new commands.
Think of neural pathways as well-trodden paths in a forest. You automatically follow these paths because you’re conditioned to do so, they’re habitual. When you change to an unfamiliar route, you have to be mindful, otherwise it’s easy to slip into old habits and old ways of thinking.
An Example: The Takeaway Habit
Old habit: Getting takeaway every night on your way home from work because that’s what you’ve always done. It’s easy, you’re tired, you’re HANGRY, and can’t be assed to cook.
New intention: Do your food shopping once a week, fill your fridge with nutritious food, and prepare everything so you’re organised.
Result: You feel smug, structured, and happy that you’re doing what you said you’d do.
But here’s the reality, this won’t happen overnight. Takeaways are still easier when you haven’t made time to go shopping. You have to recognise and grab hold of the thoughts that aren’t going to help you reach your goals. If that inner saboteur whispers sweet nothings about junk food for dinner, acknowledge it and then let it go.
Change Your Mind, Change Your Life
As Dr. Joe Dispenza says: “I wake up in the morning and I consciously create my day the way I want it to happen… When I create my day and out of nowhere little things happen that are so unexplainable, I know that they are the process or the result of my creation.”
The bottom line? Change your mind, keep an eye on it every day, and the rest will follow. Your trainer can write you the perfect programme, but without your head in the game, you’re fighting with one hand tied behind your back.
Get clear. Write it down. Look at it daily. Watch what happens.
