On December 19th, 2001, The Fellowship of the Ring hit theaters and nerd culture was forever changed.
If you’re like me, you associate these movies with the holidays and are about to rewatch all three films (extended editions obviously).
I was rewatching the Fellowship recently, and I had a funny thought.
While they’re in the Mines of Moria, Gandalf is reading the final entry in the Book of Mazarbul, the diary of Balin and his fellow dwarves and their expeditions - and demise - inside the mines:
We cannot get out:
The end comes soon.
we hear drums drums in the deep.
They are coming…
As I was watching this scene, I couldn’t help but laugh as I thought of current gym-goers worrying about the crowds coming in January:
"They are coming..."
Right now, millions and millions of people are ready for “new year, new me.”
Many of those people - maybe yourself included - have decided January 1st will be the day to get back into the gym, or start your workout routine back up.
I think this is GREAT!
Studies show that having a “fresh start” or picking specific temporal landmarks like January 1st can be beneficial for making changes.
There’s one problem though: “going to the gym regularly” isn’t one decision.
It’s dozens of decisions that must be made:
- Which gym are you going to join?
- Will you get changed at home or in the locker room?
- What’s the parking situation like?
- What time of day works best for you?
- What level of gym membership will you get?
- Will you pick classes or train alone?
- Which 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 per week will you work out?
- What if your equipment is being used?
If you find gyms intimidating or anxiety inducing, doing ALL of this in January is like playing a video game on Legendary Difficulty:
The equipment you want to use might be occupied.
The parking situation might be a nightmare.
The class you want to take might be full.
You will look for any excuse to tell you why you can’t do something. If you’re intimidated by a gym or flustered because it’s overcrowded, then your brain will beg you to stay home and never join.
I know right now, your brain is telling you “Wait until January 1st…” before you try again.
That’s fine!
However! If you’re willing to take a few steps NOW, Future You will have a much better chance at succeeding.
So here’s the challenge…
Join today, but don't even work out!
This is the PERFECT opportunity to join without the added pressure of ALL OF HUMANITY:
This allows you to get all the EXTRA decisions out of the way:
which gym, where to park, what time of day you’re going to go, etc.
I’m a fan of Terry Crews’s advice for building a habit of going to the gym:
“Go to the gym, and just sit there, and read a magazine, and then go home. And do this 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 the workout. Because it doesn’t matter what you do.
You can have fun — but as long as you’re having fun, you continue to do it.”
Try and think of these next two weeks as a beta test without expectation!
There’s no workout routine to follow.
You’re making sure you know where the equipment is and how it works
You’re doing a dry run of what it would be like to work out in the morning or at night.
You don’t have to beat yourself up for not being perfectly consistent.
Instead, you’re just focused on building the toughest part of the routine now (getting in the car or walking to the gym and opening the door).
Which means you can hit January 1st with momentum. And never underestimate how powerful momentum can be.
I'm NOT above bribing you!
A lot of people will join our Coaching Program in January, which is exciting!
But just like joining a gym early has benefits, joining our coaching before the rush means less waiting, more time to get set up with your coach, and more momentum heading into the new year!
We see this every year… which brings me to my two nudges for you.
NUDGE #1: If you are on the fence about coaching, schedule a time to talk to a Team NF member this week.
While you’re speaking with us, just mention “Fellowship” for $50 off your first month or $100 off our longer prepay plans.
Hopefully this nudge can help make your decision slightly easier, plus it’ll be easier for us to match you with the right coach before things get a bit more crowded in January.
Oh, and if NF Coaching isn’t in the cards for you right now, no worries!
NUDGE #2: To kick off the first week of January, we are running a free 5-day kickstart challenge here at Nerd Fitness, hosted by Head Coach Matt Myers. Simply click on the button below and sign up!
Matt will be tackling the number one reason why most people fail to follow through with their fitness and nutrition programs - and what you can do to make 2025 the year that things actually stick.
Okay, back to watching Lord of the Rings!
-Steve
