The Exercise Reset – Episode 1: Make the Decision

If you haven't exercised consistently in five, ten, or even twenty years, where do you begin?

In the first episode of this five-part Exercise Reset series, David Bauder, PA-C, explains why the most important first step isn't choosing a gym, buying new shoes, or finding the perfect workout. It's making the decision that movement and exercise are going to become part of your life.

David introduces the Exercise Reset Levels—a simple framework for understanding where you are today:

Level 0 – Parked
Exercise isn't currently part of your lifestyle.

Level 1 – Moving
You're beginning to move consistently and build the habit.

Level 2 – Active
Exercise has become part of your regular routine.

Level 3 – Training
You're exercising with structure, purpose, and measurable goals.

Level 4 – Performing
Fitness and performance have become a significant part of your lifestyle.

The goal isn't to reach Level 4. For someone who has been inactive for years, moving from Parked to Moving can be a major step toward better long-term health.

In this episode, David explores why motivation eventually disappears, why waiting until you "feel ready" can keep you stuck, how identity can be more powerful than short-term goals, and why consistency matters more than intensity when you're starting again.

You'll also hear why previous attempts at exercise don't determine what happens next—and how changing the way you think about exercise can help you build something that lasts.

This Week's Challenge

Complete this sentence:

"I am becoming someone who exercises because __________."

Write down a reason that goes deeper than weight or appearance. Then take one small physical action today—even if it's only five or ten minutes of movement.

You aren't trying to transform your body in one day.

You're proving to yourself that you've started.

Coming Next: Episode 2 explores why starting smaller than you think may be one of the most important strategies for making exercise stick.

Vitality Unfiltered
Hosted by David Bauder, PA-C
Powered by Weight Loss & Vitality

⚠️ Disclaimer
This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Listening to this episode does not establish a provider-patient relationship. Always consult your qualified healthcare professional regarding medical concerns, diagnosis, or treatment.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Vitality. Vitality Unfiltered. Unfiltered with David Bowder. Welcome back to Vitality Unfiltered. I'm David Bowder, your host. Today we're starting a new five-part series called Starting from Ground Up: How to Build an Exercise Habit That Lasts. This series is specifically for that person who has not exercised consistently in a long time. Maybe it's been five, ten, twenty years, maybe never. Maybe you were active when you were younger. Life got busy, work took over, kids come along, your body changes, you gain a little weight, your knees start bothering you, your energy drops off, and somewhere along the line, exercise stops being part of your life. Now you know you need to start again. You might have even tried a couple times. Several times you start, but nothing seems to stick. This series is not going to be another complicated exercise program. I'm not going to overwhelm you with heart rate zones, advanced strength routines, or a perfect weekly schedule. We'll get to that on the practical side of the exercise. But first, we have to deal with the part that actually determines whether or not you succeed, and that's your mindset. Before we start today, I want you to do something for me. Whether you're driving, walking, sitting at home, or listening while you're getting ready to work, I want you to mentally complete one sentence for me. Don't overthink it, just answer it honestly, complete the sentence. I am becoming someone who exercises because blank. Take a second and think about that. Maybe your answer comes immediately. Maybe you're struggling to think of one, you know, and that's simply okay. But maybe your first answer is because I want to lose weight. Maybe it's because the doctor told me I need to exercise. Maybe it's because I don't like the way I look. Now, those are all real reasons. But during this episode, I want you to challenge yourself to go a little deeper. By the end of this discussion, I want you to have an answer that's meaningful enough that you can come back to it on the days that you don't feel like exercising. Because here's something I've learned. I've learned over 30 years in medicine. People don't stay committed because they don't have the information. Most people already know exercise is good for them. They know that they should move more, they should get stronger. They know sitting around all day isn't helping them. The problem is not a shortage of information. The problem is a shortage of follow-through. People stay committed when they have a reason that becomes more powerful than the reason of the excuse. And that's exactly what today's episode is about. Before we get started, I'd like to introduce a simple framework that we'll use throughout the entire series. I call it the exercise reset level. This isn't about judging yourself, it isn't about comparing yourself to anyone else. It's simply a way to identify where you are today and where you want to go down the road. Remember, every person is different. And every person at level four was once at level zero. So let's think about this for a second. Level zero. I like to frame that out as you're parked. Exercise is not currently part of your lifestyle. You may have good intentions, but regular movement just isn't happening yet. Most of your day is spent sitting around, and intentional exercise is rare and doesn't happen at all. Level one, you're moving. You've made the decision to exercise and to begin. Your goal isn't to become fit overnight. The goal is simply to move consistently. Maybe you're walking, riding a bike, stretching, or doing a few strength exercises. You're building a habit, and that's key for long-term success. Level two, active. Exercise has become part of your weekly routine. You're moving most days of the week, and you're beginning to notice some improvements in your energy level, strength, endurance, and overall health. You're no longer trying to exercise, you're becoming someone who does exercise. Level three, training. Now you're exercising with a purpose. You have a structure, you set goals, you intentionally work on improving your strength, endurance, flexibility, and performance. Health has become part of your identity. And then level four, that's performing. Exercise is now a significant part of your lifestyle. You may complete some races, local races, regional races, endurance events, recreational sports, or you simply pursue a high level of personal performance. This isn't about being a professional athlete, it's about consistently performing at a high level because you enjoy the challenge. Now, here's the important part. This series is not about getting everyone to level four. In fact, there is absolutely nothing wrong with staying at level one and two for the rest of your life. The vast majority of health benefits from exercise actually happen long before you ever become an elite athlete. This series is written for people who are at level zero, parked, or maybe you're just beginning level one, moving, because moving from parked to moving may be one of the most important health decisions you'll ever make. So before we can continue, ask yourself one simple question. What level am I? Don't answer it based on where you wish to be, answer it honestly, because knowing where you are is simply the first step towards becoming the person you want to be. Now, when people think about beginning an exercise program, they usually start by asking the wrong question. What gym should I join? What shoes should I buy? Should I walk or lift weights? Should I exercise three days a week or four, five? Should I do cardio first or strength training first? Now keep in mind weight loss and vitality. We love patients doing strength training first and then cardio. Now, these are all reasonable questions, but they are not the first question that you need to be asking. Have you actually decided that exercise is going to be a part of your life? That is the question. That is the first question that you should ask. Not for two weeks, not until vacation, not until you lose your 20 pounds, not until your next doctor's appointment. For the rest of your life, you are committing to a lifelong journey of exercise. That may sound a bit dramatic, but I think this is where most people get stuck. They approach exercise as another temporary project. They say, I'm going to try to exercise. I'm going to try to lose some weight. I'm going to try and see how it goes. The problem is that trying leaves an exit door. You're waiting to see whether it becomes difficult, inconvenient, uncomfortable, or boring. And it will become all of those at some point in the program. If exercise is simply something you're temporarily trying, you will stop as soon as the motivation phase or the goal is achieved. The first step is not finding the perfect workout. The first step is making the decision. Now, people often tell themselves the biggest barrier to their body, my knees are bad, my back hurts, I'm too overweight, I'm old, I don't have the energy I used to. Other people say the problem is their schedule. I work too much, I have children, my mornings are too busy, I'm exhausted by the end of the day, and they are real. I'm not dismissing any of them. Some people have significant physical limitations. Some people have demanding jobs, family responsibilities, chronic pain, and medical conditions that absolutely affect the kind of exercise that they'd like to do. But limitations determine how you begin. It does not determine whether you begin. If you cannot run, then you might be able to walk. If you cannot walk comfortably for 30 minutes, you may be able to walk for five. If standing exercise is difficult, you may be able to use stationary bikes or do seated movements. If you cannot lift weights, you might be able to begin with resistant bands or basic bodyweight movements. The activity can be modified, the commitment cannot. The deeper problem for people is that they see themselves as someone who does not exercise. They may say things like, I have never been athletic, I'm not a gym person, I hate exercise, I've never been able to stick with anything. Those statements are not just descriptions of the past, they're actually instructions for the future. Every time you tell yourself, I'm not someone who exercises, you reinforce that identity. Those are the first changes that have to happen in the way you see yourself. Now, sometimes I hear people talk about motivation, and I will say motivation is actually overrated. One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is waiting for motivation. They believe successful people wake up every day excited to exercise. They assume people who train consistently have more discipline, more energy, or some kind of personality trait that they don't simply have. But motivation is unreliable. Motivation is an emotion. It rises and falls. You may feel highly motivated after a doctor tells you that your blood sugar is elevated. You may feel motivated when you see an old picture of yourself. You may feel motivated on the on January 1st of the new year. You may buy new shoes, new workout clothes, a smartwatch, a gym membership for a few days, a week. You feel ready. Then the normal life returns. Your sleep, you start to sleep poorly, poorly, work gets stressful, the weather is bad, you have a busy week, your body feels sore, you miss one day, then you miss another. The problem is not that you're weak. The problem is that you've built your plan on an emotion that was never going to remain constant. Motivation can help you start. It cannot be the thing that keeps you going. Commitment is what keeps you moving after motivation disappears. There will be days when you're feeling very motivated, use those. There will be days that you don't, expect them. Your success will depend more on what you do on the unmotivated days than what you do on when you get feel inspired. The next thing that I see patients sometimes fail with is stop waiting to feel ready. Another common trap is saying I'll start when I feel ready. But people rarely feel completely ready to make a major change. You don't usually become confident and then take action. You take action and then confidence grows. The first time you walk into the gym, you may feel uncomfortable. The first walk may feel harder than you expect. The first strength workout may feel or make you realize how much fitness you've lost over the years. That can be discouraging if you expect to feel good immediately. But feeling awkward at the beginning does not mean you're doing something wrong. It means you are beginning. You do not have to feel ready. You simply have to be willing to start before you feel ready. Actions create evidence. Evidence creates confidence. You begin to realize I walked today. I kept my promise to that I made to myself. I did more than I thought I could. That is how confidence is built. Not by thinking about exercise. It's by doing it. Goals versus identity. Most people begin with a goal. I want to lose 30 pounds. I want to fit in my old clothes. I want to lower my blood pressure. I want to get ready for the vacation. Goals can be useful, they give us direction, but goals alone are not enough because goals have an end point. What happens when you lose the weight? What happens when you go on that vacation? What happens when your laboratory results improve to normal? If the only reason for exercise is reaching a number, it's very easy to stop exercising once you achieve that number. Identity is different. Instead of saying I want to exercise so I can lose weight, begin saying, I'm becoming someone who takes care of my body. Instead of saying I want to get in shape, say, I'm becoming an active person. Instead of saying I am trying to work out, you say, I am building a lifelong exercise habit. This may sound like a small change in language, but it changes the meaning of every workout. 10-mile walk is no longer just 10 minutes of caloric burn. It's evidence. It's a vote for the person you are becoming. Every time you exercise, even briefly, you reinforce the identity of someone who follows through. You don't need to become that person overnight. You just need to follow through. You need the repetition. I hear people say this all the time. I'm trying to eat better, I'm trying to exercise, I'm trying to get healthy. I understand what they mean. But I want you to pay attention to the language. Trying sounds temporary. Trying suggests that you're waiting to see whether it works. Instead, say, I'm building the habit of exercise. I'm learning how to become more active. I'm becoming someone who trains consistently. You're not pretending that the habit is already perfect. You're acknowledging that you are in the process of changing. There is a big difference between saying, I failed again, and saying, I am still learning how to make this part of my life. Your words matter because a story you tell yourself influences what you do next. If your story is, I always quit, then one missed workout confirms that story. If the story is I'm becoming more consistent, that one missed workout is simply a setback. It's not your identity. A lot of beginners believe that workout has to be hard in order to count. They think that they think they need to sweat heavily, feel exhausted, or be sore the next day. They start with a plan that may include five or six days a week, long workouts, running, boot camps, or intense group classes. Then their body hurts. The schedule becomes difficult to maintain. They miss a few days, and within a month they're right back to their old routine. I would rather see someone walk for 15 to 20 minutes three days a week for the next five years of their life than exercise intensely six days a week for one month. Long-term health is built through repetition, not heroics. You do not need the hardest workouts, you just need the next workout. Then the one after that. Consistency gives your body time to adapt. It builds trust in yourself and it changes your identity. The intensity can come later down the road. Your first goal is not to prove how hard you can work, your first goal is to prove that you can return. People love starting on Monday. Monday feels organized for most. It feels official. It feels like a fresh beginning. But I'll start Monday is often another form of a delay. Then Monday comes the next Monday. After that, it becomes the first of the month. Then after the vacation, then after the holidays. There is always another future date that feels more convenient than today. But the only day you can actually act is today. I'm not saying you need to go out and complete a major workout today, but maybe you could walk for five minutes or ten minutes. Maybe you could stand up during television commercials. Maybe you walk to the end of the street and back. Maybe you put on your shoes by the door and schedule tomorrow's walk. The size of the action is not nearly as important part as important as the actual execution. The decision is the important part. Today's action tells your brain we have started and we have made the commitment. I want to address one of the most damaging thoughts people carry into the exercise program. I failed before. Maybe you have, maybe you have joined gyms and stopped, maybe you bought a whole bunch of exercise equipment and now just holds clothes in the basement. Maybe you started walking, missed several days, and never restarted. That history can make you feel afraid to try again. Why would it be different this time? Well, here's the answer. It will not be different because you found the perfect workout. It will be different because you are approaching it differently. Past attempts are not proof that you can't succeed today. They are information. Maybe you started too aggressively. Maybe your plan depended on motivation. Maybe you had no structure. Maybe you expected perfection. Maybe you treated one missed workout as total failure. You did not fail because you were incapable of exercising. You simply had been using the wrong strategy that was not sustainable. You are allowed to begin again with a better strategy. Your past does not get to make today's decision. Let's go back to that sentence from the very beginning that we talked about. I am becoming someone who exercises because blank. I asked you not to stop at weight loss or appearance. Why? Because those goals may not be emotionally strong enough to carry you through those difficult days. A deeper reason might be I want to remain independent as I get older. I want to be able to play with my grandchildren. I always love using the example in clinic with patients that I tell my I tell my patients, this would be a great time to start thinking about taking your grandchildren to Disneyland. And the demand that puts on your body when you take your grandchildren to Disneyland, you have to be fit to be able to walk and be on your feet for a long period of time. I want to travel without worrying whether I can walk long distances. I want to protect my heart and reduce the risk of diabetes. Maybe I want to feel strong again. I want to stop feeling like my health is moving in the wrong direction. I want my children to see me taking care of myself, setting the right example. So your kids can grow up in a positive environment where they also take health and taking care of themselves is important. I watch my parents lose their mobility. I don't want that for my kids' future. Those reasons are not about punishment. They are not about hating your current body, they are about protecting your future. That is an important distinction. You are not exercising because your body has failed you. You are exercising because your body is worth caring for. Now, before we close, I want to include an important reminder. If you have significant cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled blood pressure, severe shortness of breath, chest pains, severe joint pains, major balance problems, or any other medical condition that could affect safety, it is a good idea and you need to speak to your healthcare provider before you begin any new exercise program. The goal is not to prove how hard you can push, the goal is to begin safely and start building gradually. Your starting point should reflect your current health, not where you think you should be. Here is a challenge for the week. I want you to complete this sentence that we started with. But this time, do not think about it. Write it down. On an actual piece of paper, I am becoming someone who exercises because and leave your answer. Be honest. Maybe it's about your children or your future, preventing diseases, rebuilding confidence. Maybe you're simply tired of watching your health decline. But once you put it on that piece of paper, I want you to go ahead and put it somewhere in your house that you're going to see it every day. I love telling my patients to put it on the mirror. So they get up every morning, they brush their teeth, and they see it on the mirror. Keep it on your wall, take a picture of it. And I want you to read that every day. This is the first part of the challenge. The second part is simply doing one small physical action today, not Monday, but today. Walk for five minutes, walk for 10 minutes, stretch, stand up, and move around the house. The specific activity matters less than the fact that you're going to follow through. You're not trying to transform your body today. You're proving that the decision has been made. Remember this: you do not have to become fit before you can tell yourself you're someone who exercises. You become someone who exercises every time you show up, even if it's only for five minutes. Do not wait for motivation. Do not wait to feel completely ready. Do not wait until Monday. Make the decision today. You're not starting another temporary exercise program. You are beginning the process of becoming someone who takes care of their body and life. In the next episode, we're going to talk about one of the biggest reasons people quit. They start too hard, do too much. They create a plan that can't be sustained. We'll talk about why you should start small, much smaller than you think, why five or ten minutes really does count, and how small wins begin by creating momentum. Thank you for joining me on Vitality Unfiltered, and we look forward to seeing you on the next episode.