On December 19, 2001, The Fellowship of the Ring hit theaters and geek culture changed forever.
If you’re like me, you associate these movies with the holidays and are about to re-watch all three movies (expanded editions, obviously).
I watched again Togetherness recently, and a funny thought occurred to me.
While in the Mines of Moria, Gandalf reads the last entry in the Book of Mazarbul, the journal of Balin and his fellow dwarves and their expeditions—and deaths—into the mines:
We can’t get out:
The end is coming soon.
we hear drums drums in the depths.
They are coming…
As I watched this scene, I couldn’t help but laugh as I thought about current gym goers worrying about the crowds come January:
“They are coming…”
Right now, millions and millions of people are ready for “New Year, New Me.”
Many of those people—perhaps including you—have decided that January 1st will be the day to go back to the gym or start your exercise routine.
I think this is it AWESOME!
Studies show that “fresh starts” or choosing specific time landmarks such as January 1st can be beneficial for change.
However, there is one problem: “going to the gym regularly” is not a decision.
Dozens of decisions need to be made:
- Which gym will you join?
- Will you change at home or in a changing room?
- What is the parking situation like?
- What time of day works best for you?
- What level of gym membership will you get?
- Will you choose courses or train yourself?
- What pieces of equipment will you use?
- Do you know how to use that equipment?
- Will you shower at the gym or at home?
- How many times a week will you exercise?
- What if your equipment is being used?
If you find gyms intimidating or anxiety-inducing, doing ALL of these in January is like playing a video game on Legendary Difficulty:
The equipment you want to use may be busy.
The parking situation could be a nightmare.
The class you want to attend may be full.
You will look for any excuse to tell you why you can’t do something. If you’re intimidated by the gym or upset because it’s too crowded, your brain will beg you to stay home and never join.
Right now I know your brain is saying “Wait until January 1st…” before you try again.
That’s fine!
However! If you are willing to take a few steps NOW, you will have a much better chance of success in the future.
So here is the challenge…
Join today, but don’t even practice!
This is the PERFECT opportunity to join without additional pressure of ALL HUMANITY:
This allows you to remove all EXTRA decisions from the path:
which gym, where to park, what time of day you will go, etc.
I’m a fan of Terry Crews’ tips for building a gym habit:
“Go to the gym, just sit and read a magazine, then go home. And you do it every day. Go to the gym, don’t even work out. Just GO.
Because the habit of going to the gym is more important than exercising. Because it doesn’t matter what you do.
You can have fun — but as long as you’re having fun, you keep doing it.”
Try to think of these next two weeks as a beta test with no expectations!
There is no exercise routine to follow.
Make sure you know where the equipment is and how it works
You check how it would be to exercise in the morning or in the evening.
You don’t have to beat yourself up for not being perfectly consistent.
Instead, now you’re just focused on building the hardest part of the routine (getting in the car or walking to the gym and opening the door).
Which means you can welcome January 1 with a bang. And never underestimate how powerful momentum can be.
I am NOT above bribing you!
A lot of people will join us Training program in January, which is exciting!
But just like joining the gym early has its advantages, joining our training before the rush means less waiting, more time to prepare with your trainer and more momentum in the new year!
We see this every year… which brings me to my two encouragements for you.
PUSH #1: If you are in doubt about training, allocate time talk to a member of the NF team this week.
While you’re talking to us, just mention “Society” for $50 off your first month or $100 off our longer prepaid plans.
Learn more about Nerd Fitness Coaching
We hope that this incentive will make your decision a little easier, and it will also make it easier for us to find the right coach before the big rush in January.
Oh, and if NF Coaching isn’t in the cards for you right now, no worries!
PUSH #2: To start the first week of January, we launch a free 5-day kickstart challenge here at Nerd Fitness, hosted by head trainer Matt Myers. Simply click the button below and sign up!
Join the free 5-day Kickstart challenge
Matt will tackle the number one reason most people don’t stick with their fitness and nutrition programs – and what you can do to make 2025 the year things really stick.
Okay, back to watching The Lord of the Rings!
-Steve
