Happy almost weekend, friends!
There is something that I have been thinking about quite a
bit that I want to address. You see,
there is so much focus on what we eat and how we workout and not a whole lot of
focus on mindset. Mindset is huge. It’s everything really, and for a few
different reasons. You don’t see it
talked about a whole lot in relation to health and fitness, so I figured I
would take this opportunity to share with you what I have learned both through
experience and study about mindset. Now I hate to do the whole "your body is a temple and you should honor it blah blah blah" dealio, but it's actually very true. Eating well, exercising, working on mindset will completely change how you feel. You will feel so much more energetic and alive. It's kind of amazing, actually.
But first....
Consider this: You
are dreading your workout. It’s giving you actual anxiety and all you
can think about is how much it’s going to hurt and how much it’s going to suck
and how dead you will be after. You
suffer through the entire workout and are absolutely miserable. By the end, you feel exactly how you thought
you would. That doesn't really make you want to go back and do it again, does it?
Another scenario: You
are starting a new clean eating spree and you are on day one. All you can think about is all of the food
that you can’t have. Chips and candy are
dancing through your mind. You survive
day one, but by day two you can’t take it anymore…you have one piece of office
candy…then two pieces…then five. And all
of a sudden you find yourself thinking that you already blew the day, so you
might as well keep going.
And one more, for good measure: You hate your body and you want to change
it. You are constantly trying different
diets and exercise regimens to try to morph into a skinny, #fitgirl. Every day you look in the mirror and tally up
everything that you want to change. Your
love handles are getting a little out of control. And your stomach?! It never did that before! Why is it suddenly bulging out like that? You always carried a little more weight in
your hips and legs, but this cellulite situation needs to get fixed ASAP—it’s
almost summer, after all. This is your
ritual. Day after day. Week after week. Month after month.
Each of these scenarios demonstrates why mindset is crucial. First, and foremost, what you think about day
in and day out is exactly what your life becomes. If you constantly dread working out, eating
nutritiously, or even stepping on the scale, you will likely manifest a
negative result.
Visualization
I can personally attest to mindset for workouts. I’ve been on both sides of it during my
collegiate years and even in present day.
Let’s just be clear: running isn’t
my thing. I was a field event athlete in
college for a reason. But recently I
decided that I wanted to train for a few races this fall. I started running a few weeks ago. Not all runs go well, but the ones that go
really well are the ones that I go into thinking about how alive I’m going to
feel. I visualize myself running a
steady pace, not easy, but not hard—as relaxed as possible, while still hitting
my goal pace. I visualize myself
afterwards feeling tired (I did just exert myself, after all), but strong and
accomplished. Runs that I visualize
always turn out better than the ones that I’m afraid of because I don’t want to
do them.
But the real key to visualization: the feeling. You need to imagine what it will feel like to
accomplish whatever it is that you are visualizing. Olympic athletes are known to use this tactic
and it’s not like they are doing too bad in their specialties. :] But
really, the cool thing about this concept is that you can apply it to more than
just a physical task. You can choose to
visualize yourself looking in the mirror and loving what you see, feeling energetic, strong, and content. If there is a certain number you are after on
the scale, or some old pants you want to squeeze into, visualize the event and
how you feel when it happens—joy, love, happiness, confidence, sexy…whatever it
might be. You have to feel it.
Thought Choice
We like to think that thoughts just pop into our heads and that we are powerless to control them, but it’s just simply not true. What we believe is what we become. So in our example above, where we choose to focus on everything that we dislike about our bodies, it’s no wonder our bodies are resistant to change. I believe that the mind-body connection is a very real thing. Instead of focusing on every little imperfection, focus on what you like about your body. Think about the strong, capable body that you have at your disposal. This can also apply to your approach to new dietary changes or new workouts. Instead of focusing on everything that you can’t have or how scared you are of your new workout regimen, try thinking instead about all of the new foods you will get to try or how exhilarating it will be to mix up your workouts! Regardless of the situation, the way you think about a situation has a massive effect on the situation. It can be a positive or negative effect—your choice.
We like to think that thoughts just pop into our heads and that we are powerless to control them, but it’s just simply not true. What we believe is what we become. So in our example above, where we choose to focus on everything that we dislike about our bodies, it’s no wonder our bodies are resistant to change. I believe that the mind-body connection is a very real thing. Instead of focusing on every little imperfection, focus on what you like about your body. Think about the strong, capable body that you have at your disposal. This can also apply to your approach to new dietary changes or new workouts. Instead of focusing on everything that you can’t have or how scared you are of your new workout regimen, try thinking instead about all of the new foods you will get to try or how exhilarating it will be to mix up your workouts! Regardless of the situation, the way you think about a situation has a massive effect on the situation. It can be a positive or negative effect—your choice.
Gratitude
I think this one sneaks up on people and we tend to forget about it. I just watched a vision board video where the missing link to vision board creation is discussed and do you know what the missing link was? Gratitude. It’s okay to want something better, but make sure that you send out gratitude for what you have now. For example, I’m in a phase where I started a new job, I’m way more sedentary, and the candy drawer has been far too inviting for me to handle. I am definitely turning a corner in my dietary changes because, hello, I want to feel good all the time, not crappy from overdosing on chocolate, and now that it’s getting warm out, I’m beginning to be more active outdoors. My mindset as I make these adjustments is: a. completely different than any other time in my life and b. begins with gratitude. I am so grateful that I have a healthy, strong body to carry me through my days. I have no chronic diseases or disorders and I would like to keep it that way. I’m grateful that I have access to affordable, healthy foods and that I have WiFi and a kitchen to prepare fun recipes to keep me out of a rut and excited about the food I’m eating. I’m grateful that I live two blocks from a beautiful lake that I don’t mind running around. I’m so fortunate to have all of these things. I am very grateful for the body I have, and I want to improve it to be stronger and fitter. I want to be able to take this body for a 10k run by fall and I’m going to visualize the crap out of that, when race day gets closer! But do you see how I took, “ugh, I’m getting fat, from this job that keeps me sedentary”, to something more positive? It’s a game changer. I promise.
I think this one sneaks up on people and we tend to forget about it. I just watched a vision board video where the missing link to vision board creation is discussed and do you know what the missing link was? Gratitude. It’s okay to want something better, but make sure that you send out gratitude for what you have now. For example, I’m in a phase where I started a new job, I’m way more sedentary, and the candy drawer has been far too inviting for me to handle. I am definitely turning a corner in my dietary changes because, hello, I want to feel good all the time, not crappy from overdosing on chocolate, and now that it’s getting warm out, I’m beginning to be more active outdoors. My mindset as I make these adjustments is: a. completely different than any other time in my life and b. begins with gratitude. I am so grateful that I have a healthy, strong body to carry me through my days. I have no chronic diseases or disorders and I would like to keep it that way. I’m grateful that I have access to affordable, healthy foods and that I have WiFi and a kitchen to prepare fun recipes to keep me out of a rut and excited about the food I’m eating. I’m grateful that I live two blocks from a beautiful lake that I don’t mind running around. I’m so fortunate to have all of these things. I am very grateful for the body I have, and I want to improve it to be stronger and fitter. I want to be able to take this body for a 10k run by fall and I’m going to visualize the crap out of that, when race day gets closer! But do you see how I took, “ugh, I’m getting fat, from this job that keeps me sedentary”, to something more positive? It’s a game changer. I promise.
A couple other random tips that I love and use:
Affirmations
Some good ones I’ve seen include:
I accept myself unconditionally right now.
I love and respect my body and it loves and respects me.
I love my food and my food loves me.
I am strong. I am healthy. I am capable.
Some good ones I’ve seen include:
I accept myself unconditionally right now.
I love and respect my body and it loves and respects me.
I love my food and my food loves me.
I am strong. I am healthy. I am capable.
Vibrations
Ask yourself: does it raise my vibe? Long term, does it make you feel good? Does it drive health, wellness, and happiness? You know how you eat pizza and brownies for a week straight and then you feel super shitty for that entire week….and into the next? That’s low vibe/low energy food. High vibe behaviors raise your energy. It can be a great workout, green juice, coffee, fruit salad for dessert. In general, high vibe foods are considered raw, whole foods that are close to their natural state. Processed foods are considered lower vibe. This is not to say that you can’t treat yo self occasionally, but I’m talking on a consistent basis….do your choices raise your vibration?
Ask yourself: does it raise my vibe? Long term, does it make you feel good? Does it drive health, wellness, and happiness? You know how you eat pizza and brownies for a week straight and then you feel super shitty for that entire week….and into the next? That’s low vibe/low energy food. High vibe behaviors raise your energy. It can be a great workout, green juice, coffee, fruit salad for dessert. In general, high vibe foods are considered raw, whole foods that are close to their natural state. Processed foods are considered lower vibe. This is not to say that you can’t treat yo self occasionally, but I’m talking on a consistent basis….do your choices raise your vibration?
I think that’s about all I wanted to touch on this one with
mindset, but if you have any questions, always
feel free to reach out.
xoxo,
anne
