You had your workouts dialed in. You were lifting, going to group classes, running, biking. You were doing something. Maybe even a few things. Maybe you were close to doing all the things.

Then COVID-19 happened.

Now your routine is shot, your gym is closed, you can’t workout with your friends, and motivation is becoming a foggy memory. Things that were easy to do at the gym or in a group suddenly became a significant challenge to do at all.

There’s a common saying in the fitness industry: “Psychology beats physiology every time.”

What we mean by this is that even if you had the best program in the world, the nicest equipment, and you were gifted the best genetics, none of it matters if your heart or mind isn’t in it. Simply showing up really is the most important part of any program.

An imperfect workout that gets done is always better than the perfect one that is put off until later.

So, if you are struggling to find the motivation to exercise, ask yourself this;

Can you give it five minutes?

Or, alternatively,

Can you do one exercise?

If you still aren’t feeling it after five minutes or just one exercise, that’s it. You’re done. It’s just not your day, and that’s fine.

But, if you feel like you can keep going after the five minutes (or the first exercise), then do another five minutes (or one more exercise). And, if you still feel good after that, do another five minutes or one more exercise. Don’t think about anything other than the next step.

If you finish the workout, that’s amazing! If not, at least you did something on a day when you already felt defeated. Either way, that’s a win in my book.

Isaac Newton said it best; a body in motion stays in motion. It’s much easier to keep going than it is to get going.

It’s not just physics. It’s psychology.

With that in mind, what can you do today?