How a Mindset Shift can Amplify your Progress

When most people think of making nutrition changes or starting to exercise, we think about physical discomfort like how we’ll be sore as we introduce new exercises or add weight to the bar. The elephant in the room is the fact that the biggest hurdle to overcome will be your mindset and how well you can adjust to the changes while your body and mind are fighting against you to remain the same. You’ve created a level of comfort through years of habit. Your body doesn’t care if it’s a healthy or unhealthy habit, it simply wishes to remain as is. There are actually several mindset hurdles to overcome on your way to changing your health and your life. We’ll examine a few and include some tactical strategies that have helped our coaches and our clients. 

All or Nothing

This was my biggest hurdle for many years. Set the goal and lock in or let the train derail and take out everything in sight. This can often be tied to extreme behaviors like severe nutrition restrictions or exercise routines, disordered eating habits, and drug usage. This mindset is focused on the 100% and anything else makes us feel like we failed in our goals so we should just stop. The truth is, this won’t work forever. At some point, your significant other will want to experience a date night that is beyond chicken and rice or your kids will want to share an ice cream cone with you. Welcome to reality. As we build habits over a longer period of time, we build a buffer that gives us an allowance to make some choices like the ice cream periodically. The world will keep turning if you exceed your macros one day, just get back to your normal plan the next day. 

The Solution

Aim for 80%. In school, 80% is a B- which isn’t going to amaze anyone. In real life, if you’re hitting 80% healthy meals and making your workouts and covering your sleep, then you’re kicking ass. Time is key. Your investments don’t make you wealthy in a week and exercising a couple times won’t give you a 6 pack. Do both for a long period of time and your chance of success is much higher. 

I’m too Far Behind, I can’t do It

People will feel like they’re too out of shape or can’t do enough to make a change. This is like saying “I don’t have any money saved up, so I shouldn’t start saving now”. Our individual problems can seem overwhelming and in certain situations it can seem like there’s no good starting point. This feeling can be very defeating. The longer we feel this way, the more difficult it can become to see a way out. You’re never too far behind to start trying, we just can’t always see the path up the mountain. 

The Solution

Seek help. If you’re sick seek a doctor. If you’re anxious, a psychologist. If you need help with finances, a financial planner. If it’s your health habits, find a health coach that aligns with your values and listens to your concerns. Professionals who work with people that have your issues will help you break the big goal into smaller tasks and help you alleviate stress. 

I’m not getting Results Fast Enough

To piggyback off the last point, a Coach or Advisor can help you see the areas you’re improving. There are two things we tend to forget when forging a new path. The first is the path isn’t linear. If you go three weeks without seeing the scale move, that doesn’t mean progress isn’t happening. Sometimes the fact that the scale stopped going up is a huge win. You’ve stopped the bleeding-first victory. Secondly, we often just need more time. Time will be the biggest lever to pull in your journey to health. 

The Solution

Smart Goals

Specific- Make the goal specific and narrow

Measurable- Make sure the goal and progress can be measured

Achievable - Make sure the goal is achievable in a certain time frame

Relevant- Goal should align with long term objectives

Time-Based- Set a date by which the goal should be manageable 

Again, a coach can help drastically in helping you create SMART goals. Shifting your mindset from “I’m not getting results fast enough” to “I’m building habits to support my long term goal” is one of the biggest advantages we’ve seen from clients. Often, we’re not clear on our goals which leads to an unclear plan which leads to frustration and disappointment. Celebrate your small wins and you’ll see how much progress you’re making in your habits. 

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