How did I start, push through, and keep going to the gym for over 2 years? without relying on luck or motivation, a step-by-step guidance.
- Ahmed Kandeel
- Feb 21
- 8 min read
“The idea of going to the gym is harder than the workout itself.
How did I start, push through, and keep going to the gym for over 2 years? without relying on luck or motivation, a step-by-step guidance.
From teenage aspirations to impress girls to the desire for personal transformation, the gym has always held a large space in my head. Every time I remind myself that I need to change, the gym is my first thought. Yet, for many of us, the journey to consistent gym attendance has been riddled with false starts and fleeting motivation. Two years ago, I cracked the code, and today, I share with you the keys to unlock lasting success.
Here is my story:
It is the start of the year, I feel motivated, and I took a big chunk of my income to pay the gym’s annual subscription as an investment in myself.
The gym administrator looks at me and has this internal sneaky smile where he bets that I could be his next perfect victim who would pay the full amount and never show up after the first week.
I pushed myself and went to the gym, where I wanted to prove him wrong.
I went for a week or two, and one day I “feel” not going, and I say, “Not a big deal, right?” I can go tomorrow, the next day; also, you don’t “feel’ going; same for the rest of the week.
The six-pack dream starts to fade away; I start losing confidence in myself, and I wish I could just blink and have those six-packs with zero effort.
The story ends, the gym admin wins his bet, and I start believing that I was born to be unfit.
If you can relate to this short story, I want to tell you that this is the vicious cycle for so many people. Finally, I learned the necessary skills and systems to keep going.
In the next few lines, I will show you my system and how to implement it for almost any meaningful task, not just going to the gym.
Phase 1: Kickstart (1 week to 1 month)Phase 2: Push through (2–4 months)Phase 3: Gym for Life (6 months+)
Phase 1: Kickstart
Discipline is a reliable source of energy, unlike motivation, which is fueled by emotions. A tweet by me.
Motivation is driven by your emotions, and your emotions are a factor of your mood, your mood is not something that you can control all the time, and you don’t the most important tasks in your life to rely on something you cannot control.
let’s dive in and explain how not to depend on motivation.
I. Find your “WHY”
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how,” said Friedrich Nietzsche.
In my early 30’s, I suffered from two major health conditions: gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which gave me severe heartburns all the time; and the second was a lower back injury known as “slip disk,” which created so many problems and limitations in my life, I tried all the medical treatments possible, but nothing worked long-term. I had to find a different solution.
I started to tap into the root of my problems, and I figured out that they were eating disorders. which led to being overweight, I had to stop here and ask myself, “WHY” I am doing that to myself, Is that how I want to live my life ?, and this is how I want to be when I grow older?
I had to educate myself on how to live a healthier lifestyle and try something different. Later on, I understood that this was my turning point, this was my “WHY”.
To start anything meaningful in life, you must ask yourself “why” you want to walk down that road.
If you lack a strong ‘why,’ your passion will diminish when you realize the effort and discipline required to reach that goal.
Your ‘why’ should reflect your future self and your near-future. For example, envisioning yourself as a strong dad playing with your kids. It should also consider your far future. Ask yourself: Which grandpa do you want to be? Do you want to be the one who plays football with his grandkids or the one who watches them from a wheelchair? If you can’t think of a strong reason, brainstorm by writing down 10 to 20 different reasons why you should go to the gym. While not as easy as you may believe, if you make the effort, you are likely to discover your ‘why’ towards the end of your list.
Be cautious: Don’t fall into the social trap. If your main ‘why’ is to impress others with your six-pack, it may provide a short-lived sense of pleasure and motivation. However, relying on this external validation can make it difficult to let go, impacting your self-confidence. If you fall ill or are unable to go to the gym for any reason, you may lose a sense of self and personal identity. Your primary reason for going to the gym should originate from within yourself and be solely for your benefit.
Once you realize the importance of focusing on long-term goals and disregarding short-term benefits, you are already well on your way through your journey.
II. Don’t tell others….yet.
According to Dr. Andrew Huberman, if you start telling others about your plans, the feedback is generally positive. The positive feedback you receive from others activates certain reward and motivation systems in your brain. This is similar to achieving the goal itself and can reduce the likelihood of starting to work on that goal. Next time you plan to go to the gym, avoid sharing your intention with others until you actually start going.
Here is Dr. Andrew Huberman’s explanation link:
III. Start with the simplest form
James Clear, in his New York Times best-selling book “Atomic Habits,” shows us how to start any habit using the 2-minute rule.
The Two-Minute Rule states, “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.” You’ll find that nearly any habit can be scaled down into a two-minute version: “Read before bed each night” becomes “Read one page.” “Do thirty minutes of yoga” becomes “Take out my yoga mat.
The goal is to break down your tasks into the simplest steps possible.
When I began going to the gym regularly, I made a commitment to go consistently for two months, no matter what, unless faced with a natural disaster. I had no other exceptions to this commitment.
Even in that day where I feel “low” or tired, I only need to go to the gym; I can go and leave; that’s it. But as I kept going, I found out that since I already came, why not walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes?
The difficulty of going to the gym is much higher than the workout itself, so you need to trick your mind into thinking that the effort you will be making is not that hard.
Phase 2: Push through
Now that you have succeeded in starting yourself and going to the gym, you have been working out for maybe 1 month, but you don’t see much results, and it is not getting easier yet.
You must understand that this is a process that has a few phases. The current phase is called the plateau; it is the state of no change that comes before the big change.
I. Plateau of the latent potential
James, in his book “Atomic Habits,” calls this phase the “plateau of the latent potential, which represents a phase of hidden potential.”, below. Now, imagine you have an ice cube placed in a room at a temperature of 25 °C. The temperature was then increased slowly by 1 °C. At 26, 27, and 28 °C, there were no visible changes to the ice cube. As you continue to raise the temperature to 29, 30, or 31 °C, the ice cube remains unchanged. The moment the temperature goes to 32 °C, the ice cube starts to melt. This 1-degree increase is no different than all the ones that came before. And then, you hit the melting point, didn’t you? And then the ice cube starts to melt. When you reach this transition, it’s intriguing that the change just before was similar to your previous actions, yet without results. This is because many of us expect linear or quick outcomes. Now, armed with this knowledge, you’ll be prepared for that pivotal moment. Now you have the necessary tools to avoid giving up.
Therefore, when you next visit the gym, don’t anticipate rapid weight loss or immediate six-pack abs. Instead, trust the process, persevere, and steer clear of the valley of disappointment.
Figure 1.0
Pareto Principle: Roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes.Important note: One of the fabulous benefits of gym strength training is weight loss acceleration. If your main goal at the gym is weight loss, remember that 80% of the weight loss formula is determined by your food intake. Your body weight plateau may be due to your current diet, which we can discuss in another newsletter. Consult your dietitian about it if in doubt.
II. Reflect and review
I always believe that what cannot be measured cannot be improved. Maintain a workout checklist or use apps like “HEVY” to track progress. Two benefits emerge from this: First, you can monitor your progress and identify weak points. Second, during challenging times when you feel demotivated, this serves as physical proof of consistent effort, motivating you to persist.
Phase 3: Gym for Life
If you have been regularly going to the gym for over 6 months, your habits should have been ingrained in your brain by now.
At this point, you will feel bad if you can’t go to the gym for any reason. Consult individuals who have been regular gym attendees for 6 months to a year, and they will confirm the same outcome.
Simply because life is not a straight line, sickness happens, work overload happens, holidays happen, parties happen — basically, life happens.
I. Consistency vs. Intensity
When motivation fades, get back to your starting point. Recall how you began — with small steps. Consistency outperforms intensity, every single time. If your usual workout is an hour, settle for 20–30 minutes on challenging days. If your goal is a 30-minute run, aim for 10. Being consistent and showing up, regardless of your mood, significantly enhances motivation beyond what you can imagine.
“Never do it twice in a row.” James Clear, Atomic Habits
Again, in “Atomic Habits,” James Clear has a very important rule in life: On days when you feel unable to hit the gym or are under the weather, it’s ok; learn how to forgive yourself. But remember, skipping twice consecutively is the gateway to forming a new habit; it’s not about skipping one or two days; it’s about breaking the habit chain.
II. Reward Your Efforts
Lasting habits thrive on rewards. Post-workout, the gym gifts you a dopamine surge — a natural high that lingers. Now, reward yourself further. Choose something that reinforces discipline. Beware of junk food; opt for smarter rewards, like watching your favorite show.
III. I have no time
Claiming to have no time is a common excuse our minds generate when confronted with important tasks. We’ve all been there — feeling overwhelmed by our schedules, juggling work, family, and other commitments. But let’s debunk this myth together.
Prioritize Your Gym Time: No matter what life throws at you, make your gym sessions a non-negotiable priority. How? Start by planning ahead. Set your gym schedule for the upcoming week. Once you’ve locked in those workout hours, everything else can fall into place around them. Remember, we always find time for what truly matters to us.
At this point, I trust you understand the vital importance of consistent exercise. After all, you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t believe in its importance. So, let’s commit to making time for our well-being
Remember,
Consistency is the architect of transformation.
The bad workout is the one that you don’t do.
Low motivation days are coming; your new friends are called “discipline” and “consistency.”.
If you could forgive yourself and move forward, you will be invincible.
I would like to thank you for your precious time. This means that you are serious about improving your future self.
You can follow me on X.com at the below link.
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