Starting something new is tough! When we’re younger sometimes it seems a bit easier. It’s almost expected that we’re going to be trying new things all the time. As adults though, it can be intimidating. Creating new habits, operating outside our knowledge base, and just simply being in a new environment are things that our bodies and minds will fight us on. Pure evolutionary type behaviors. If we were constantly ‘trying new things’ 10,000 years ago, we might eat some poisonous plants or wander on a path in the woods where the local mountain lion gang hangs out! So suffice it to say the aversion to change and new experiences has deep and sometimes useful roots.
Two summers ago, I enrolled in jiu jitsu. It’s something that has been on my mind for YEARS, but I never pulled the trigger to do it. I had all the excuses. No time. Money. Too busy. All the stuff. Well I finally went. I did thorough research on the facility and instructors and now I go 3 times per week, every week. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made for myself in a long time. I have not been a beginner in years and now I am. It is everything being a beginner can be. Rewarding, because there is so much to improve on and learn. Frustrating for the same exact reasons. Intimidating, because I literally get beat up some days (less now than 6 months ago, but still quite often!). Now that I have been committed to this new behavior for 6+ months, it had become a habit. Where it felt abnormal to do 3 times a week, in the beginning, now it feels abnormal when I miss a class.
If you’ve been thinking about exercising and eating better, my best tip is to just get started, create those habits, push through the initial 4-6 weeks to make it a part of your life especially if it’s, like jiu jitsu was for me, something that has been on your mind for a long time. You’ll feel better just for committing and sticking to something that is beneficial for you. That alone can be a huge win!
Don’t worry so much about being a beginner. We all are beginners at the <wait for it>………beginning.