I believe that mindset shifts are so important in fitness. In fact, I’d say that at first, they are MOST important, because they are likely a big reason you’re stuck.
There are all sorts of mindset shifts that I like to help my clients make, but I want to share one in particular today, and it’s one that comes with just a little shot of tough love.
I’ll state it simply, then I’ll elaborate:
You need to elevate the status of fitness in your life.
Stop and think through a few things for just a minute.
When you don’t feel like going to work, do you do it anyway? Probably. Why? Because the stakes are high enough. You need the paycheck.
When you’ve committed to meet up with someone a week ahead of time, that day comes up, and all you want to do is watch TV and eat snacks, do you cancel? Of course, there are times you would, but for the most part, probably not. Why? Because you’ve made a commitment.
Do you brush your teeth, wash your dishes, take out your garbage, feed yourself and/or your kids, and pay your bills? I admit our dishes can back up at times, but that’s life. But for the most part, these things are ingrained. Why? Because we're committed to them.
And we are committed to them because we don’t want to experience the consequences of NOT doing them.
Here is one big reason that your workouts don’t happen or you let your eating strategy slip: you haven’t made the same type of commitment to it that you have with other things in your life.
You know it’s important, you probably have some solid reasons as to WHY it’s important, and you’ve possibly made an intentional plan.
But when it comes time to execute that plan, you are likely to choose to do something else.
You’ve taken some solid first steps, but you’ve yet to elevate the status of your physical fitness to a true priority in your life.
Let me illustrate in real life what each of these may look like so you can spot the difference. For the sake of illustration, I’ll focus on getting a specific workout session in.
Here’s what it may look like in the day of someone who has taken the first steps but hasn't truly committed:
The day starts and Mike has a plan to hit the gym after work. He even packs his gym clothes. As the day goes along and it’s more stressful than planned, however, his motivation to go to the gym wanes. Anxieties, fears, and doubts creep up and begin to wear down his determination. As the work day begins to wrap up, someone, ANYONE, wants or needs to do something that involves him during that workout time slot. His friend wants to do something after work. His wife wants to go out to eat or needs something from the store. Someone calls and he gets wrapped up in a conversation. He decides that the gym will have to wait for another day, although he may feel some guilt.
If that’s you, know that you're not alone and that this is actually very typical. Also know that if you let this pattern continue, then you won’t see the results you want for a very long time, if ever.
Contrast the above with this scenario from someone who has “elevated the status” of their fitness.
Jane plans to hit the gym after work. Her family and friends know this because it’s her norm. It’s on her calendar, and barring an emergency, it’s protected time. Her day is the WORST, but she knows she can let some of that stress out in her workout. A friend from work rolls her chair over and says “Hey Jane, we’re all going for dinner after work to relax after this day, care to join us?” Jane would love to, but that’s her gym time, so she says she’s tied up but would love to join them another time. Her husband is already home and needs her to pick up some ketchup for dinner before she gets home, so she makes a plan to hit the store between the gym and their house instead of their regular grocery store. A friend calls, she talks with her on the drive to the gym, and lets her know she’ll call back later.
This is one example and falls short of describing everyone’s situation, obviously, but take this principle and apply it to your own life.
Have you only taken first steps and really like the idea of being healthier and stronger, or have you made the commitment that this will absolutely be a priority in your life?
You know what things in your life look like when they are a priority. Now, you just have to elevate the status of your fitness to that level.
And if you need some help, message me. I literally do this for a living.
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