Self sacrifice, worth & kicking tires

I have a dear friend who used to work in marketing. I’ve often sought advice from him on a multitude of marketing mishaps. We were looking over some of my numbers once and he said to me “yep, people are kicking your tires.” Kicking my tires? He explained that in the wellness/fitness world people will look and think about and look and think about and look and think some more but they are hesitant to actually set foot in the gym/yoga studio/nutritionist office.

Interesting! Why is this I thought? Why do people ruminate for so long over decisions that are in their best interest? You don’t deliberate over wearing a seat belt. The reasons run deeper than a long windy road but here are my thoughts on it.

First off, we have (especially in the United States) an internal drive to be self sacrificing. A car sitting in a parking lot doing nothing, still has worth. You, even when you aren’t solving, doing or making something, YOU STILL HAVE WORTH. As a worthy person, you deserve to be taken care of. (And not to get too conspiracy theory on you but the companies that run this world, benefit when you work harder, when you hit the gas on productivity. They get richer when you sacrifice yourself to make, solve and do more. Huh! Let your mind trip on that a bit.)
Secondly, we are made to believe that only people in perfect bodies go to the gym/yoga studio. Have you seen the pictures posted by gyms? Come to our gym and you’ll be sexy like this young, able bodied, sports car driving person. What about the ones posted by yoga studios? Come in to our studio and you’ll be thin, flexible, wealthy, capable and probably driving something great too. It’s no wonder the average size 16 woman driving a minivan feels intimidated.
Third, ask me if I’d rather run on the treadmill or drink beer outside with friends. GEE! I wonder what I would pick? (Insert expert level eye roll.) It’s been proven over and over again that socialization is a human need (and it makes things more enjoyable than a car ride with no kids.)
That’s why no one likes running on the treadmill. (Disagree? If people liked it, why do they use TV/podcasts/music to distract them from it?) Taking care of yourself should be a joyride, not punishment. Find movement that you LOVE and then invite a friend to do it with you.
All that to say, investigate the reasons that are keeping you from caring for yourself (if you already are caring for yourself, give yourself a HUGE pat on the back. You GO with your badass self!) Once you figure out what is holding you back, solve it. Quit kicking the tires, get in and go for a spin! Your body and your mind will thank you for it.