Inertia!
The term "Inertia" is described as a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged. In a blog about fitness, you would expect this to be the definition that I would focus on, but it's not. I actually hate it. In Physics, the definition is a little more complex. Inertia - a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force. I love this definition, because it is so incredibly accurate. A property of matter... all matter in the known universe, to continue in it's existing state.
The thing that I love most about this definition is that it doesn't make you feel guilty, or like you are doing something wrong if you are continuing in a lifestyle. In fact, it's the complete opposite. You are following a principle that applies to all matter in the universe! Continuing in your existing state, unless you apply some sort of force in an equal or opposite direction. Now, the "fitness" obvious here that everyone talks about is that if you are "lazy" you will continue to be unless you force yourself to change and once you are fit, it is easier to maintain. I completely agree with this but I feel as though we are missing a main point. The underlying concept of inertia is where I feel the conversation is lacking. That specific force needing to be applied in an equal or opposite direction.
The most difficult part of any task is starting.
Firstly, I would like to concentrate on the force of getting started. This is by far the most difficult mental challenge you will face, in my opinion. No, I don't JUST mean getting started in an athletic lifestyle and diet, I mean getting started... every time, all the time. Some days when you want to exercise it will feel a little easier, some days it won't. One of my favorite exercises when I was training for rugby was pushing an SUV in our high school parking lot. My coach was a genius because it not only helped build our team's fitness but also taught us about physics. He would sit in his over-sized SUV put it in neutral and have each player push the truck 100 yds. If you have ever tried to do this, the amount of inertia in a stopped vehicle is quite high. That initial push to get over gravity and friction and get those wheels moving was where the difficulty lay. As soon as you got that vehicle moving, the next 99 yds were a breeze. The same thing translates to exercise. Your hardest mental challenge is to show up... every time. Once you are there, the rest is easy. Keep this in mind when you are looking to start. Go to a gym that is close to your house, or even better, in your house. If it takes you 20 mins to get there, you are just stacking inertia against yourself. Have a gym bag ready to go with all the essentials so that you have no excuse. How many of you have done this? Get to the gym only to find out you forgot your headphones. Then, immediately turn around and go home. I have done it countless times. Actually, one time I even convinced myself that I didn't have the "right" socks... you don't always win this battle... Either way, limit that inertia.
As you continue to grow as an "athlete" you will have to learn to face the mental challenges of pushing past fatigue in a work-out. This is the second force of inertia that I would like to address. So now you have built up a routine of exercising. It feels good. In my analogy earlier, you are 50 yds down the parking lot and the SUV is rolling well with seemingly little effort. The definition of inertia states that if there were no force acting against the vehicle (wind resistance, gravity and friction), you could let go and the car would get there itself and just keep going. Just like in your "athletic" lifestyle, there is a little bit of resistance that is nagging at you to slow down or stop but you have to keep pushing to overcome it. Not only that, but you can add force in an equal direction (from behind the vehicle). When you think of our analogy, a small amount of additional force will cause the vehicle to move faster toward that finish line. The most "work" comes from applying force to accelerate the object. The amount of force needed to maintain the speed of an object is exponentially lower. You have to train yourself to push past that mental barrier of just maintaining and try to accelerate to that next level in order to grow and adapt as an athlete.
Loved these cartoons growing up. Garfield and Friends by Jim Davis
Inertia - a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force. The last thing that I love about inertia is the fact that it is a nested principle. It applies to everything from brushing your teeth, exercising, even to your career. Think of matryoshka dolls or Russian nesting dolls. If you break down an activity to smaller components, the same general principle applies. Take for instance, preparing a healthy dinner. Too often, we give up before we start because it takes too much time and effort. Break the whole activity up into preparing parts of the dinner to lower that initial starting inertia. Then start cutting that carrot. Before you know it, you will be dicing the onion and seasoning the chicken. Too often we look at a single lofty goal instead of multiple smaller ones and that in-and-of itself is what leads us to failure, our starting inertia is just way too high.