As someone whose depression has meant I stopped exercising and lost all my fitness, I know it's daunting to start again. What's the point? It's going to be so hard. I'm going to be flabby and weak for so long!

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Unlike someone embarking on a fitness journey for the first time, I have actual knowledge of how hard it is to get into shape from zero because I've done it before. Having that knowledge makes it harder than being a total newbie.

BUT

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There is something I always forget about when starting anew:

On day one of starting again my identity shifts immediately to one of "I'm someone who exercises and cares for her body." I always mistakenly assume that the identity I need is "fit person."

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But that second identity takes a while to achieve when starting from zero. The great thing, however, is that the first identity shift, the immediate one, has always had way more influence over me than the second one, even after I achieve the second one.

4/

All this to say: if you're struggling to get fit because it seems daunting, just know there is a very good chance that just by starting you will immediately experience an identity shift that will keep you motivated, and you'll be fit before you know it.

You got this.

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