Whenever I feel I need to get leaner I simply start by increasing my activity levels, I often include walks as my morning cardio before breakfast into my daily routine…

I simply get up, quick shower, black coffee, grab my water bottle and go for a stroll….. typically just around the block, lasting between 20-30 minutes…

I typically do this Monday to Friday, pre breakfast, pre work….

As is often the case, you tend to see familiar faces at this time in the morning, people out and about, heading to work, walking the kids to school, or most commonly walking the dog……

I remember the first time I did this:

So on Monday, my first day of morning cardio, an older lady was walking towards me with her little dog in tow…… I smiled and said morning to her and she simply blanked me and carried on walking!

Now I get why this happened, she doesn’t know me, she was potentially intimidated by my presence, and I as I didn’t have a dog or kids with me, she probably questioned what I was doing!

However, flash forward to Thursday and the exact same lady (who by this point had seen me for the previous 3 mornings) was all smiles and good mornings!

Why? What changed?

Nothing other than familiarity…she simply got used to seeing me doing my morning cardio, it became normal, and as a result she felt comfortable and relaxed……

This is exactly the same in the gym regarding your health and fitness goals…….

The first time you walk into the gym can be scary, it can be intimidating, you can feel uneasy as you are out of your comfort zone….even if you a regular gym user, I bet you are often guilty of sticking to what you know, and what you feel comfortable doing?

This simply makes you human!

Remember your first day at school? Your first date? Your first day in a new job? First driving lesson?

Through time, you adjust, you progress, you adapt, you grow, you develop familiarity and eventually you are facing those very fears that held you back on a daily basis….

Getting in shape is never as scary as you think it’s going to be, trust me.

If you are unsure about taking your first step, or you need to readdress your current approach, give me a shout….

That’s all for today, until the next time,

Tristan ‘good morning to you too’ Buttle.