LESSONS I LEARNED
I didn’t call it a fitness mindset at first – it took some time for me to come up with the full concept. However, along the way I developed some steps anyone can follow to develop a fitness mindset and maintain a successful fitness lifestyle.
Here are some of the things I learned:
1. Any changes you make have to be sustainable (meaning they can’t be severely restricting or extreme).
You have to find ways of eating and exercising that are effective, AND that are compatible with your lifestyle because these are things you are going to have to sustain throughout the rest of your life.
I knew that as a mom I could not find the time to go to the gym and work out for an hour, and that I had to find ways to change my diet while still eating the same foods I prepared for the rest of my family.
2. You need to take baby steps rather than overwhelming yourself by trying to make too many changes all at once.
Research shows that trying to make too many changes at once is the number one reason people fail at developing good eating and exercise habits.
So instead of overhauling your entire diet all at once, and implementing an extreme exercise plan, you need to begin to make only a few small changes. Continue to remind yourself that success breeds success.
You have to change your mindset (from instant gratification) and realize that small changes add up to big results, and small successes make it easier for you to increase your efforts.
My first changes were very small – I jumped rope for 10 minutes every day and I cut all sugared sodas out of my diet.
3. You need to make your baby steps your habits.
You have to find ways to make your baby steps your habits, so you do it easily without even thinking about it.
There are a number of ways to develop new habits, but I found it easiest to develop new habits by anchoring them to existing habits. For example, if you want to start drinking more water, you might try saying to yourself “I will drink a glass of water before I brush my teeth in the morning”.
When I wanted to start jumping rope, I made it a habit by anchoring it to my habit of doing it once I hit the gym floor. I changed into my workout clothes and started jumping.
4. You need to focus on systems and processes rather than long term goals.
Long term goals tell you there is something wrong with you, and that you won’t be happy until you reach those goals.
Focusing on systems and processes still moves you forward and your satisfaction is found in completing these systems and processes. You can be happy while you are getting fit instead of waiting until you have reached your long-term goal.
Jumping rope was my process and my system was to jump for 10 minutes every day. By focusing on the process and system, rather than a goal of losing 40 pounds, I was able to feel good about my daily efforts and make progress toward losing weight and getting fit at the same time.
5. You must accept responsibility for your current circumstances and take control of your life.
QUIT MAKING EXCUSES!
You have to stop blaming other people and circumstances for your physical condition. You have to stop playing the victim – allowing other people and circumstances to control your life.
I had a million excuses when I first started trying to get in shape. Some of them I had kept around for so long they had become family pets.
It was not until I quit making excuses and made myself a priority that I was able to make progress.
6. You need to develop a strong “why power”.
Instead of focusing on HOW you are going to lose weight, you need to think about WHY you want to lose weight and get in shape. And your reason needs to be based on an intrinsic motivation rather than an extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivations come from inside and they are based on personal satisfaction, rather than satisfying others.
Extrinsic motivations require validation by others or have an external reward. Examples of extrinsic motivations are things like wanting to please your significant other or spouse, or wanting to impress your old classmates at a high school reunion.
The danger of relying on extrinsic motivations to sustain you, is that when you don’t receive the response you expected, you lose your motivation and quit.
My “why power” was born when I overheard two people talking about their “fat” boss.
I was so embarrassed and humiliated that I resolved I would take control of my life so no one could ever refer to me as that “fat” boss again.
Four questions to ask yourself when trying to find your “why power” are:
Why do I really want to lose weight?
Why is losing weight really desirable to me? (how will it improve my life)
What’s in it for me and others? (Not what kind of response will I get)
What are the consequences of me not doing it?
7. You need to develop an “identity-based” goal.
Decide what type of person you want to become and do the things that type of person does on a consistent basis.
When I decided that I wanted to be strong, I did the thing that strong people do – I started lifting weights. As long as I was lifting weights I was meeting my “identity-based” goal.
8. You need to overcome “stinking thinking.”
This is the last and most difficult thing you MUST do.
“Stinking thinking” tell you that you aren’t good enough and that you won’t ever be good enough.
Stinking thinking says you are “less than enough”. It points out all your past mistakes and makes you label yourself a “failure”.
Even today I battle with stinking thinking, but positive affirmations, meditation and journaling help me overcome these negative thoughts. I am learning to stop looking at the past, and to live in the present.
As Buddah so aptly put it:
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world.
THE IMPORTANCE OF A FITNESS MINDSET – IN ALL AREAS OF LIFE
A fitness mindset – is it only applicable to the area of health and physical fitness? I don’t think so.
As a personal trainer, online fitness coach, and mindset & performance coach, I obviously help my clients develop this mindset to reach their health and fitness goals and to sustain them throughout their lives. However, I also encourage them to develop a fitness mindset in other areas of their lives.
A fitness mindset is a mindset that sees life as a journey, rather than a bunch of destinations.
Once you truly understand that, you begin to realize that the joy is in the journey.
You begin to celebrate your small successes and to look at your obstacles and mistakes as challenges rather than failures.
You also begin to see through your efforts of consistently taking baby steps, developing GOOD habits, focusing on the process rather than the goal and eliminating your stinking thinking (in whatever area of life you want to improve) you are developing a fitness mindset’ – a mindset that will be the difference between success and failure on your journey to whatever you want to achieve in your life.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Are there areas in your life that you want to change? What do you think about developing a fitness mindset? Have you tried other methods that helped you progress successfully on your life’s journey?
Please leave your comments below. I really want to hear from you.
About Tanya
Tanya Gordon, MNLP, MTLT, MC.Ht is a Global Mindset & Performance Coach who coaches people to perform optimally and produce breakthrough results personally and professionally. Ultimately to tap into and harness their full potential. As an authentic, and inspirational coach and mentor, she partners with professionals, teams in the community to create transformations and lasting results.
Discover how to be more consistent and what it takes to stick to your goals.
To contact Tanya:
Email:
info@elementsofempowerment.ca
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