Most People Quit Right Before It Starts Working — Here’s What I Tell Every Client

A gym-floor chat on effort, results and leveraging your time

TL;DR

• At the start, your effort is high and your results are low. That's when most people quit.
• Once your habits start to feel easy, the results start to show.
• Everything you do with your time is a leverage, towards your health or away from it.
• Find your why before you buy the gym membership.
• Train without distractions, and remember how the good and bad choices make you feel.

Introduction

This episode was recorded on the gym floor between sets with my mates Kabir and Bradley. It started as a two-minute pep talk for a "Two-Minute Tuesday" video and turned into a bigger conversation about why people give up, and what helps them keep going.

Lesson 1: Don't quit just before the results

Insight: I see this all the time as a coach. People start their exercise journey, push and push, and then decide it's too hard or that "this doesn't work for me". They stop just before they would have started seeing real results, like getting stronger and fitter.

At the start, your effort is way up here and your results are way down there, and it feels like they have nothing to do with each other. But as your habits, like exercising, drinking water, sleeping and eating well, start to feel easier, your results get better. You have to get through the hard part first.

Action: If you're thinking about quitting, give yourself some grace and commit to a few more weeks before you judge whether it's working.

Outcome: You give your effort the time it needs to turn into results.

Lesson 2: Everything you do is a leverage

Insight: One of the boys pointed out that many people know exercise matters but don't understand what it can do for their work, study and life. I think it comes down to how we invest our time. A past guest put it perfectly: you're always leveraging your time. Time on the couch watching Netflix leverages you away from your health. If you really want to watch Netflix, you could do it standing up, doing squats or some yoga, and leverage it the other way.

It applies everywhere. At the shops, you can buy fruit and vegetables or you can buy cookies. When you get paid, you can save, invest or spend. Everybody is doing something, so the question is whether it's leveraging you towards a positive or a negative.

Action: Look at one regular part of your day and ask whether it's leveraging you towards your health or away from it.

Outcome: Small daily choices start working for you.

Lesson 3: Notice what state of mind you're in

Insight: I'd recently heard a great way of describing three states of mind. The first is the primal state, when you're angry and can't think properly. The second is the monkey following the other monkeys, going through the motions because that's what you've always done. The third is flow, when you're clear and in a good headspace, like when good ideas come to you in the shower.

It's hard to see when you're stuck going through the motions of somebody else's life. That's where journaling can help, before you even think about exercise.

Action: Spend five minutes journaling about whether your days feel like your own or like you're just following the routine.

Outcome: You take back control of how you spend your time.

Lesson 4: Find your why first

Insight: We all know exercise is good for your brain, your body and your mind. It keeps your back strong and gives you the mental clarity to study harder and perform better. I could talk about that for an hour, but no one really cares. What people care about is living a better, happier life, and what makes you happy is different from what makes me or Bradley happy.

If you just buy a membership and go once or twice without understanding why you're doing it, you'll probably decide it doesn't work for you.

Action: Write down what exercise would actually change in your life, in your own words.

Outcome: You have a reason to keep going when it gets hard.

Lesson 5: Remove the distractions and remember the feeling

Insight: One of the boys said the gym gave him that same clear, shower-thoughts feeling after two years away, because there were no distractions. A lot of people train with headphones on, and it's almost like they're distracting themselves from themselves while doing something for themselves. Try a workout or a walk with nothing in your ears.

When you feel good after training, take that in, because it makes you want to do it again. Do the same with the negatives. Remember how rough you felt after a big night or a lot of junk food. Journal about it, or record a quick video telling yourself how you feel, and watch it next time you're tempted.

Action: Do your next walk or workout without headphones and notice how you feel afterwards.

Outcome: You connect with the good feelings that keep you coming back.

Closing insight

Bradley shared something he'd read: what you do in your 20s, you either reap the benefits of or suffer the consequences of in your 50s. The best time to invest, whether in your finances or your health, is yesterday. The next best time is now. And don't give up when it's hard.

Listen to the full episode

The full conversation is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube, or press play at the top of this page.

Related episodes: Health Habits and High Performance with Cam Harris and What I Learned From 5 Powerful Podcast Guests