Level Up with a Mind-Body Makeover
Almost anyone has what it physically takes to get in great shape, but not everyone does it. What’s the difference between those that succeed and those that fail?
For almost everyone it’s found right between the ears. Your mindset is critical to getting the results you want in all areas of your life. But especially for hardcore fitness, it’s important that you have the right mindset to get you to the next level.
It may sound overwhelming to change your mindset, but it doesn’t have to be if you follow these simple steps.
Conduct an Analysis on Your Current State
Just as you would with any problem, it’s important to get a good picture of the problem before you can actually make beneficial changes. You want to assess where you are right now with both your mind and your body.
First, where are you physically? Is your weight where you’d like it to be? Do you feel strong? Or do you have some extra flab to get rid of? Do you feel like your muscles aren’t what they used to be?
If you’ve been physically fit before, you know what it takes to get there. What’s wrong with your body right now? What would you like to change? These are all questions to ask when you’re performing a mind-body assessment.
But the most important thing to assess is your mindset. There are two types of mindsets – fixed and growth. It’s crucial to know where you stand between these two types.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself as you consider your current mindset:
- Do you believe that your intelligence is something basic that can’t be changed?
- Do you think that you can learn new things, but you can’t really change your intelligence?
- Do you agree that no matter how much intelligence you have, you can change it?
- Do you believe you can make substantial changes in your intelligence?
The first two questions are related to a fixed mindset. When you have a fixed mindset, you limit your abilities. You believe that you have something to prove about who you are rather than realizing you can develop talent and intelligence.
With a growth mindset, you believe that you can develop talent and increase your intelligence through serious effort, hard work, and commitment. This type of mindset is what drives most people who accomplish great things in their lives.
Is your mindset limiting you? It’s important that if you have a fixed mindset that you work on strategies to switch that into a growth mindset. Knowing that anything is possible through hard work and dedication will help you reach your goals.
Set New Goals for Your New Life
Setting goals is the best way to make change. Without goals, you’ll be moving through life haphazardly and letting anything happen. Unfortunately, that usually lends itself to not accomplishing very much.
Very few people stumble onto success. Setting goals can help you target your efforts toward reaching your dreams. So this is a time to think big! What is that you want for yourself?
For example, you might set a goal to lose weight and reach a specific number on the scale. You might have the dream of being strong and being able to lift a specific amount of weight.
You might even want to perform a high–endurance event – such as a marathon or triathlon. You may want to have more confidence and finally land that dream job in your career field.
You can make anything happen with the right goals. When setting goals, it’s important to write them down. Having a written list of goals makes them more concrete and can help you achieve them more successfully.
You need to be specific when you set your goals as well. Your goals need to be measurable. For example, if you want to run a marathon you need to add something measurable to that goal.
It could be to run a marathon within the next calendar year. But leaving it open ended will make it hard to know if you’re on track. You should also make sure that you set goals based on performance instead of results you can’t control.
For example, you might have a goal to lose 30 pounds. But so many elements go into the number on the scale that you may be very fit and strong, but not reach that goal.
Instead, make your goal about working out daily for a specific amount of time. No matter what the scale says, you can always reach a goal based on things you can control.
You’ll want to set some big goals to reach your dreams in your new life, but it also helps to set small goals along the way. Setting a goal that you can reach in a week or a month can give you a taste of success along the way.
This strengthens your growth mindset and gives you more momentum to keep going. For example, you could set a goal to follow a strict nutrition program for one week.
When you meet the goal take time to celebrate and reward yourself with something like a massage, a movie, or anything else you enjoy that won’t sabotage your program. Stay away from food rewards that can take you away from your goals.
Commit to Change Permanently
Anytime you set goals, there are factors that pop up and make your goals more challenging. You’ll have to be committed to your goals so that these common problems don’t get in the way of your success.
Let’s look at a few of the most common challenges people face when they’re working toward serious goals.
Time: Time is always a difficult factor when you’re talking about a fitness program that can take hours a day. But to reach your goals, you’re going to have to make them a priority and they’re going to take your time.
Some solutions include scheduling your workout time into your day. You want to treat it as you would any other appointment you have with a client, colleague, or VP.
You’re committing to make time for your goals knowing that they’ll give you back more than you invest in the end.
Pressure: In this case, we’re talking about pressure from those who aren’t onboard with your goals. There’s always someone standing on the sidelines who doesn’t believe in what you’re doing.
They may not be supportive and may even say things that are very negative about your fitness or career commitments. Remember what you learned about a fixed versus growth mindset?
These people are usually those with a fixed mindset that have trouble understanding your growth. You may even find that you have friends or family members who actively work to sabotage your efforts.
It will take a strong resolve to avoid the pitfalls that can come from this type of pressure. To solve this problem you’ll have to be very assertive about your goals and your activities.
You may even need to avoid some people who are toxic and getting in the way of your success, though that’s not necessary for everyone. Most people respond well to assertiveness and boundaries.
Financial: Financial pressure is a very real obstacle for many people. In order to get to the level that you’re dreaming of it’s going to take quite a financial commitment.
That may mean foregoing other luxuries that you’re used to having in your life – or that your family members are used to having. You’ll need to make your fitness goals part of your personal budget as a line item.
This is a commitment that will take some resources away from other areas of your budget. But the investment is one that you’re willing to make in order to reach the goals you’ve set for yourself and achieve the growth you seek.
In the end, if you have the right mindset and you’re committed to your goals, it becomes easier and easier to deal with issues that are threatening to stand in your way and you can experience tremendous growth.
Educate Yourself About Your Options and Tools
As you work to reach your goals, it’s important to educate yourself. Knowledge is power and is the first step toward action. Depending on your personal goals, your process may vary.
If, for example, you want to be able to run a marathon, you’ll want to get more information about what you need to do to train for one. You might get books on marathon training.
You might also interview experts who have run marathons and find out what they did to prepare. You might talk to a fitness trainer to evaluate your current fitness level and what it will take to get to the next level.
You might sign up for a boot camp or training program that gives you the tools you need. Tools are there to help you reach your goals, but you don’t want to waste time and money on the wrong ones.
So begin with educating yourself about what’s out there. Look at the tools and programs that can help you and check out the reviews if there are any. Then make strategic decisions about what will work best to get you to your goals quickly.
As you research you’ll find tricks and tips that help you get the most out of your investment of time, energy, and money. Some tools are available, but not worth your effort.
Pick and choose the ones that are really worth it. Being strategic can pay off in big results. Some tools to research and consider include:
- Videos/DVDs related to your goal
- Online products such as eBooks, courses, and reports
- Equipment that’s specifically targeted to help you reach your goals and do so safely
- Expert instruction from a trainer or coach related to your goal
- Boot camps, conferences, and other gatherings that allow you to glean new information and skills
- Community clubs and organizations that have similar interests
When it comes to tools and strategies, look at every possible aspect and don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Some of the best tools for setting goals may seem revolutionary.
Break the Glass Ceiling Each and Every Day
You’ve examined your mindset, set goals for your life, committed to make changes in spite of obstacles, and educated yourself about the options and tools to help you succeed.
Now it’s time to put one foot in front of the other and take action! This means doing something every day that is a new achievement. Every day, push yourself a little further than you did the day before.
If you’re afraid to get out of your comfort box, do it anyway. Courage isn’t about being comfortable – it’s about being faced with something difficult and pushing past your fear to do it afraid.
Every day will bring you opportunities for moving forward toward your dreams. If you have big fitness goals, you may find that choices you make in the office actually help you to build confidence to move forward on your exercise challenges.
Any challenge that you can achieve is going to enrich your life and help you to become the person you want to be. They all lead to helping support you in a growth mindset.
This is the place where stop daydreaming about your life and start living it in a way that’s intentional and will lead to results. When you find new challenges and obstacles, you have a choice.
You can either allow fear and doubt to keep you from moving forward or you can summon all the courage and energy you have to break through those barriers and shatter the glass ceiling that are holding you back.
Each day, wake up and decide what you’ll achieve that day. Some days those achievements may be small, but the results of achieving them add up to big changes.
And other days you’ll recognize that you’re going to achieve something very important that will have a huge impact. Whether big or small, don’t let a day go by that you don’t do something that pushes you out of your comfort zone.
It’s only in that uncomfortable place that you can learn and grow. Fear of that discomfort is what keeps people from achieving their dreams and leaves them sitting on the sidelines watching others have what they truly want.
Breaking the glass ceiling can be scary, can cause discomfort, and can be an intimidating task. But once you’ve broken through, the strength and power you gain will make all the effort worthwhile.
As you work toward your goals and dreams, remember that your mind is really your most powerful tool. Your commitment and determination will get you to the finish line.
Look for opportunities to challenge yourself and to grow.
