MINDSET: WHERE SHOULD YOUR HEAD BE WHEN STARTING AN EXERCISE PROGRAM?
How many times have you started and stopped an exercise program? You begin with the best of intentions and then suddenly you get busy, you get bored or you get hurt.
It happens to the best of us.
But with the proper mindset and intention, it is absolutely possible to navigate life’s challenges while sticking to your healthy workout routine.
Consistency is king (or queen!) if you want to achieve your fitness goals. And being consistent starts with developing a healthy mindset and relationship with exercise. Like working the muscles of your body to make them stronger, you’ve got to train your brain to get the most out of your workouts.
Below are three basic concepts that will help you do just that.
Know Your Why
This is key. The “why” behind your goal is in many ways more important than the actual goal itself. A strong why will elicit emotion, creating drive and passion that will push you to get to the gym after a long day at work even when your couch is calling. Whether you’re hoping to total a certain amount in a specific weight class during a powerlifting meet, run your first marathon or improve your overall health, your why is the mantra and your motivation for continuing to do the work.
Common examples of “whys” that motivate people.
- Gain confidence
- Look better in a bathing suit
- Play a sport at the collegiate or professional level
- Improve overall health
- Stay injury free while playing in sports leagues
Regardless of how challenging your goal, being by asking yourself WHY you hope to achieve it, and how you’ll feel when you do.
Avoid the All-Or-Nothing Mindset
In the world of fitness, people often develop intense and unhealthy relationships with specific styles of training or specific diets. As a trainer I often hear people say things like, “If you eat paleo you’ll feel and look better than ever” or “You need to train with kettlebells, they’re much safer than the barbell” or “Spin class is the best way to burn calories.”
Let me be clear: Any type of workout style or diet can lead to success.
Whether it’s successful for you depends on whether it’s compatible with your lifestyle and how much you enjoy it. Barbells, kettlebells, and dumbbells can all help you get stronger. Spinning, running and the elliptical can all help you burn calories. Paleo, low fat, and the Mediterranean diet can all help you with fat loss.
The key is to find what works for you – what can you do consistently that makes you feel good and helps you achieve your goals.
Don’t let a workout or a diet add stress to your life. Lose the all-or-nothing approach and explore the many different approaches health and fitness until you find the one that works for you.
Take the Long View: Exercise with a Focus on Overall Health to Reach your Goals
Nothing will knock you off the consistency train, distance you from your goals, and sour your relationship with exercise quicker than an injury. Taking a smart approach to training, focusing on proper form, increasing range of motion and incorporating a whole-body approach to your workout can make it easier to stick with an exercise program that will help you reach your aesthetic, fat loss, or performance goals.
Emphasize overall health when training by following these guidelines:
- Learn to move well before you move more
- Gradually increase your exercise volume
- Focus on improving joint mobility
- Incorporate aerobic training for your cardiovascular system
Like muscles adapt to increasingly heavier weights, your mindset, too, can adapt to consistent training. Before you step into the gym, remind yourself why you’re there, allow yourself to choose the plan that works for you, and remember to move with your whole-body health in mind.
MINDSET: WHERE SHOULD YOUR HEAD BE WHEN STARTING AN EXERCISE PROGRAM?
How many times have you started and stopped an exercise program? You begin with the best of intentions and then suddenly you get busy, you get bored or you get hurt.
It happens to the best of us.
But with the proper mindset and intention, it is absolutely possible to navigate life’s challenges while sticking to your healthy workout routine.
Consistency is king (or queen!) if you want to achieve your fitness goals. And being consistent starts with developing a healthy mindset and relationship with exercise. Like working the muscles of your body to make them stronger, you’ve got to train your brain to get the most out of your workouts.
Below are three basic concepts that will help you do just that.
Know Your Why
This is key. The “why” behind your goal is in many ways more important than the actual goal itself. A strong why will elicit emotion, creating drive and passion that will push you to get to the gym after a long day at work even when your couch is calling. Whether you’re hoping to total a certain amount in a specific weight class during a powerlifting meet, run your first marathon or improve your overall health, your why is the mantra and your motivation for continuing to do the work.
Common examples of “whys” that motivate people.
- Gain confidence
- Look better in a bathing suit
- Play a sport at the collegiate or professional level
- Improve overall health
- Stay injury free while playing in sports leagues
Regardless of how challenging your goal, being by asking yourself WHY you hope to achieve it, and how you’ll feel when you do.
Avoid the All-Or-Nothing Mindset
In the world of fitness, people often develop intense and unhealthy relationships with specific styles of training or specific diets. As a trainer I often hear people say things like, “If you eat paleo you’ll feel and look better than ever” or “You need to train with kettlebells, they’re much safer than the barbell” or “Spin class is the best way to burn calories.”
Let me be clear: Any type of workout style or diet can lead to success.
Whether it’s successful for you depends on whether it’s compatible with your lifestyle and how much you enjoy it. Barbells, kettlebells, and dumbbells can all help you get stronger. Spinning, running and the elliptical can all help you burn calories. Paleo, low fat, and the Mediterranean diet can all help you with fat loss.
The key is to find what works for you – what can you do consistently that makes you feel good and helps you achieve your goals.
Don’t let a workout or a diet add stress to your life. Lose the all-or-nothing approach and explore the many different approaches health and fitness until you find the one that works for you.
Take the Long View: Exercise with a Focus on Overall Health to Reach your Goals
Nothing will knock you off the consistency train, distance you from your goals, and sour your relationship with exercise quicker than an injury. Taking a smart approach to training, focusing on proper form, increasing range of motion and incorporating a whole-body approach to your workout can make it easier to stick with an exercise program that will help you reach your aesthetic, fat loss, or performance goals.
Emphasize overall health when training by following these guidelines:
- Learn to move well before you move more
- Gradually increase your exercise volume
- Focus on improving joint mobility
- Incorporate aerobic training for your cardiovascular system
Like muscles adapt to increasingly heavier weights, your mindset, too, can adapt to consistent training. Before you step into the gym, remind yourself why you’re there, allow yourself to choose the plan that works for you, and remember to move with your whole-body health in mind.