Did you write on your hand in school?
I did.
Helped with exams 😉
Truth is I only did this once and was caught RED handed by a furious nun at school.
(There is nothing on the planet more terrifying than a furious nun.
I think the word INCANDESCENT would be a good description )
But aside from that it was a technique that has served me well throughout my life.
Learning lines in plays.
Prompts for choreography.
Even presenting about The Project at conferences.
Just a few words can ping your mind off down well trodden paths.
In reality I only ever used these as a safety blanket;
glanced once… and once I was off – I was off!
Neural pathways are amazing things.
Doing a thing habitually makes the connection actually stronger.
That’s how we learn anything.
Remember how hard it was to learn to drive?
And now you literally don’t have to think.
Same with learning a language.
Hard work.
But you break through and it becomes effortless.
That is how it is with exercise – with the double guarantee of muscle memory.
Which is an actual thing.
It’s all uphill, and effort at the very beginning.
Aches that don’t feel worth it.
Slow progress that makes it seem pointless.
Most people think that they can’t ‘stick at it’.
But like learning to drive, and learning lines
habit is a skill that can be learned with the right techniques
(and especially if you have someone making sure you do things at the start.
It doesn’t need to be a furious nun)
But you can make it much easier for yourself.
Start slowly and build the habit.
The habit is JUST as important as the exercise.
Actually more.
In fact we tell ladies in The Project that if they are ill and can’t do their morning exercise
to get up at the same time anyway, make a cuppa and just watch the workout.
One lovely lady did one of her Skype coaching calls from her bed!
(long story)
The main thing is building the habit.
SO you get to the stage where your feet are almost putting their own trainers on.
This can and DOES happen in even the most reluctant exercisers.
(And very often the first week of The Project is populated by VERY reluctant exercisers 😉 )
It is the key.
So here is a challenge for the next 7 days.
Can you build a chain of 7 ticks on your calendar?
A tick for each time you do the workout at the top of the screen – once a day at the same time.
You could write 5 words on your hand before you go to bed..
Jog, Squat, Push, Plank, Bridge.