Addition for Subtraction
One reason gyms are so effective at helping people make life changes is because they represent something new to add in.
You have to commute to the gym, spend about an hour there, and then get back to home, work, or wherever you're headed. You can’t fake it—you have to carve out that time and physically show up.
In contrast, health and fitness advice often focuses on subtraction. Take dieting, for example. Most diets emphasize removing something “bad”: cut out sugar, stop eating carbs, no more snacks. That kind of restriction—and the constant focus on what you can’t do—makes compliance more difficult.
Here’s the perspective shift: if you’re struggling to get to the gym, remember that once you add this one positive habit, other good ones tend to follow. And in turn, the less desirable habits start to fall away—not because you're forcing them out, but because you're crowding them out with something better.
Sometimes, the best way to subtract is simply to add.
Justin Miner