"I'm gonna get in shape, but it will be really hard"

Well, now it will.

I have been hearing from lots of people who my advice and story is helping them get inspired to get in shape.  That's awesome. It makes me incredibly happy and proud to hear that, and this is exactly why I started newbodi.es.

That said, far too many people include in their note something about how hard it will be, how much work they will have to do, that it's a big undertaking, that they've never been successful before (either at all or in staying fit), etc.  The mind is an incredibly powerful thing, and the more negatively you frame things, the harder they will be to do.

See, if you go into this journey with a frame of negativity, you will be staring at this daunting wall in front of you at all times. Your cells will literally feel the weight of this burden.  Conversely, go in with just the comment about how you're going to get fit, or how you know you can do it, and your mind will trigger a rush of endorphins and other biochemistry that will keep your cells invigorated and energized, allowing you to get to your goal.

So, how can you stop being negative and mean it down in your core (it's easy not to say the negative thing out loud, but you may still be thinking it, after all).  Well, not saying it is a good first step, but to really stop, you need to expose why you are being negative in the first place.  Is it fear of failing, so you provide yourself the caveat or out in case you do so you can say, "Well, I knew this would be too hard, and I told everyone, so no one can say this was a surprise or a let down, including me."  I'd bet that's what it is more likely than not.  Is it just that you're a negative person? That's a bit of a cop out that doesn't explore the underlying 'why' at play.  I'll bet you're negative as a way to protect the real you from being exposed or hurt by failure.  Recognize this, embrace it, and rise above it.

Tonight, while running, my right knee started to hurt at the 10 minute mark.  I really wanted to go another 5 minutes.  It started to really hurt - like a lot.  Very sharp.  I started to worry - what can I do?  Should I stop?  What about my progress?  What about training for my first race?  Then I did something I read about in Born to Run.  I smiled.  I felt happy.  And, honestly, my knee pain faded in about 3 strides.  I felt it happen.  It didn't come back, and my knee feels great right now.

The point is, the body doesn't know reality from dream or thought.  It just takes the chemical cues, and performs accordingly.  Be positive, and your body will follow.

You can be positive.  You can affirm that you'll succeed.  You can rise up.  And in doing so, your body will change.  And the more your body changes, the more your mind will, which will drive further body improvement.  This is the cycle I got into about 9 months ago, and it's only accelerating.