Episode Transcript
It’s January—a time for new goals, fresh starts, and big ambitions.
You’re ready to tone your arms, feel strong, and finally commit to those
workouts. But there’s one thing that often gets in the way: discomfort.
Today we’re diving into the truth about why discomfort shows up when
you try to change and how to reframe it so you can keep moving forward
toward your goals.
Hey everyone! Welcome to The Arm Coach podcast, episode 44!
January is here, it’s a new year. I know you want it to be a new you
because January is when we all dive headfirst into change. And, it’s
really time for you to reevaluate your approach to toning and
strengthening your arms. That’s why you’re listening to this podcast—
you know you want things to be different.
But here’s what I’m going to tell you: we embark on the process of
change with all of our desires, right? Before we start, it’s like, “Yes, I
want to change; there are so many good reasons. I want to tone my arms.
I want to feel strong. I want to wear sleeveless tops with confidence. I
want to feel like I can trust myself to stick with a plan and see results.”
Whatever your goal is, we’ve got that desire, we’ve got the goal, we’ve
got all the reasons why we want it. But what I’ve found in my own life,
and by working with thousands of people in Arms by Kristine, is that
99.9% of us—myself included—dive into the process of change with the
same crappy mindset about what change is supposed to feel like.
Now, I have had to do a lot of work in my own life to continually point
out to myself, “Oh, hey, there’s that problematic mindset about the
process of change again. There it is. We’ve got to reframe it; we’ve got
to change it.” And that’s what I want to help you do. Because when you
have this crappy mindset about change and what it’s supposed to be like,
what’s going to happen is you’ll give up too soon.
This is what I see all the time. People are so tempted to give up. They
believe that something has gone wrong, and they don’t realize just how
close they are to the change they want. And the solution here, when you
have all this desire to change, is actually very simple.
All you need to do is reframe what the discomfort of change means.
Reframe it ahead of time, change that mindset ahead of time. Because I
have said this before—you’ve heard me say this on the podcast—
discomfort is coming either way in life; there’s no two ways about it.
Discomfort is the reason why so many of us avoid challenging our
bodies.
Now, stay with me, because I know a lot of you out there are like, “No,
that’s not me. That’s not what’s going on.” We avoid challenging
ourselves because, “I don’t want to feel sore. I don’t want to feel tired. I
don’t want to feel judged. I don’t want to feel like I’m failing.”
All of you who are skeptical when I’m saying that—when I’m talking
about how discomfort is part of the reason we avoid progress—maybe
you’re thinking, “That’s not me. I avoid workouts because I don’t have
time. Or because it’s boring. Or because I don’t think it will work.” But
here’s the truth: discomfort is always part of the habit, and it’s always
part of changing the habit. Because habits are about rewards. And if
you’re used to the reward of comfort and predictability, and then you
interrupt that cycle, guess what’s going to happen? You’re going to feel a
little uncomfortable.
Imagine you’re used to taking the same route to work every day. It’s
comfortable, predictable, and you know exactly how long it will take.
One day, you decide to try a new route to avoid traffic. The new route
feels a little confusing at first. You’re not sure where the turns are, and
you feel slightly uneasy about being off your usual path. But here’s the
thing: the discomfort you’re feeling isn’t because the new route is wrong
—it’s just unfamiliar. And, over time, you’ll get used to it. The
discomfort isn’t a sign that you should go back to your old, comfortable
route; it’s just a normal part of learning something new. Just like with
toning your arms, when you challenge your body in a new way, the
discomfort is a sign that you’re on the right path, even if it feels
awkward at first.
Feeling uncomfortable doesn’t mean you’re lazy or unmotivated. It just
means that your brain is used to sticking with what’s easy. And when
you interrupt that cycle, your lower brain—the part of your brain that’s
like, “Hey, efficiency is really important for survival”—is going to have
a little tantrum. Thankfully, we’re not all lower brain; we have the higher
brain too. That’s the part of your brain that plans, thinks about goals, and
solves problems.
But so often, we let the tantrum of the lower brain run the show.
Discomfort is part of changing the habit. And discomfort is coming
either way, in life.
So, I want you to think about it. We can stay stuck in the discomfort of
not taking action—frustrated that our arms don’t look or feel the way we
want, annoyed at ourselves for avoiding workouts, or overwhelmed by
the idea of starting. Or, we can choose the discomfort of showing up,
pushing through the challenge, and growing. Because growth comes
with discomfort, and you know this. You know you can’t get strong
without challenging your muscles.
It’s the same mindset you can bring to toning your arms. You cannot
learn a new habit—and that’s what this is all about, building new habits
—without the discomfort of trying and failing. So, just think about it.
Discomfort is always part of life. It’s just a question of which one you
want more of: the discomfort of staying stuck, or the discomfort of
growing?
It’s so obvious when we frame it in that way, right? “Of course, I want
the discomfort of growing.” But we often don’t frame how we feel when
we’re trying to change in that way. Instead, we think, “Why is this hard?
It shouldn’t be this hard.” And that’s where the crappy mindset comes in.
So, you have all these reasons to change. You have all this desire to tone
and strengthen your arms. And then, as soon as you start, that mindset
shows up. The first workout feels tough. You feel the soreness the next
day. You’re tired. And the mindset swoops in: “This is hard. This sucks.
This is unfair. I don’t want to do this.”
What’s happening is that you’re encountering the discomfort of change.
And what happens is that you try to wish it away. “I wish this was
easier.” But if you have plans this January, just know: discomfort is
coming. The question is, what are you going to make it mean? That’s the
power of the think-feel-act cycle.
When you realize, “Okay, frustration and giving up don’t just happen,”
you’ll see it’s because of a thought. And that thought is usually about
what you’ve made the discomfort of growth mean. Are you making it
mean you’re doing something wrong, or are you making it mean, “Hey,
I’m on the right track”?
This January, I want you to reframe discomfort. Make it mean, “Look at
me. I’m working out my arms and my brain. I’m building strength. This
is how I change.”
Discomfort is coming either way, my friends. You get to choose: stay
stuck, or grow. When you see it’s not the discomfort that’s the problem,
but how you frame it, everything will change. You’ll be less frustrated,
and you’ll be less likely to quit. And that’s all you need: to keep showing
up and trying.
So, this year, let’s shift that mindset. Let’s tone those arms. And let’s
grow into the strong, confident version of you that you’ve been waiting
for.
