29/09/2026
The reason you started getting in shape can lose its power… Before you’ve built the body you actually want.
Usually, a body goal is driven by two things:
- Getting out of pain
- Moving towards pleasure
At first, the pain tends to shout louder.
Your clothes are tight. You hate the photos. You’re fed up with saying you’ll sort yourself out.
Eventually, staying like this feels harder than making a change.
So you get your diet in check, start training and lose some weight.
Brilliant!
But you can get out of that initial pain long before you reach your actual goal.
Your clothes fit better. You’re happier in the mirror.
You still want that lean, athletic look. To feel phenomenal in your outfits and out of them 😉
But now it’s less urgent.
Before, skipping the gym meant staying in a situation you were desperate to leave.
Now, it means delaying a result you’d like to have.
And then work is busy, the kids need you and you’re knackered, “I’ll go tomorrow” becomes much easier to justify.
Gym sessions slip. Meals get more casual. You put yourself last again.
You still want the result. But the discomfort that pushed you to act has eased.
This is where you need to ask:
“Who do I need to be to achieve this?”
Because building a physique takes months of doing the things you can now talk yourself out of.
You need habits, organisation and accountability that keep you going.
Make it practical:
How will you train when time is tight?
What will you eat when you haven’t cooked?
What happens after the weekend goes off plan?
Book the sessions. Have a few easy meals to fall back on. Get back to your routine at the next meal.
Keep practicing until looking after yourself becomes part of how you live.
That’s the identity shift.
You start finding pleasure in the process too.
Getting stronger.
Cooking a decent meal.
Leaving the gym feeling glad you went, especially when you nearly talked yourself out of it.
You become someone who keeps showing up even when there’s no crisis in the mirror.
You don’t need to feel miserable about your body to keep improving it.
But be honest: are you building habits or waiting to get fed up again?
