Let's paint a picture.....
There is a cute girl or boy sitting across the room from you
Extremely attractive, and you want to ask them for their number
The only thing stopping you is the feeling of embarrassment if he or she rejects you
Or the feeling of nervousness, because of how attractive they are
However, the actual act of asking for their number is simple and easy.
So, you decide to think positive thoughts only and hope for the best, and somehow that helped you get up and ask for it.
Fitness goals are the same way.
The biggest barrier you face, will always be your mind.
The act of getting in good shape is fairly simple, not easy, but simple.
But, the negative thoughts tend to always take us over.
For example,
Let's say you know you are supposed to workout
However, you decide to cancel
A reason why you might've justifyed canceling that workout
Could be because you don't genuinely think that workout could get you any closer to your goal
Because if you had constant belief that EVERY TIME you hit the gym, EVERY REP, EVERY SET, you were creating a proper stimulus for your butt or your arms to grow
You wouldn't skip your workouts
This whole idea is known as "self-sabatoging" your fitness goals
And if you do this, you are not alone
Several of us struggle with this, I personally have struggled with it a lot as well
How do you win the battle?
Accept the negativity for what it is, but don't let it dictate your actions
There will be multiple times when you are pursuing your fitness goal, where you will look in the mirror and think nothing is happening
There may be times where other people tell you they don't notice a difference
There will be multiple times where you will compare yourself to someone else, and wonder why aren't I there yet?
These thoughts are absolutely normal, and they WILL continue to happen
You can't stop it, but you can't let it stop you either
Flood your brain with overwhelming positivity
If your clothes fit differently, remind yourself
If you've dropped a pound this month, remind yourself
If your booty looks bigger in pictures, remind yourself
If you have more energy throughout the day, remind yourself
KEEP THE POSITIVE THOUGHTS FLOWING!
I promise, that is probably the toughest battle you will face, and the worst part is others can't help you with it, you have to help yourself
Once you've mastered that, everything else becomes drastically easier
Next, is the importance of your social circle
You've probably heard the quote "If you hang around 5 confident people, you will be the 6th" and then the second half of it "If you hang around 5 idiots, you will be the 6th"
In terms of fitness goals, your friends matter.
Whether you like it or not, you are not "self-made", or whatever you want to call it
All of us are influenced by the people around us, what we read online, and what we watch online
So, use it to your advantage
If you want to get in better shape, you are probably best suited to become friends with those who are already in good shape
Why?
Because, they carry a lot of the habits that you still need to find consistency within
And, they know how to find balance between life and fitness
This will benefit you greatly
So much so, they did a study on it in 2016
The study at the Robert Woodson foundation found "heavier people with more interactions with thinner people lost increasingly more weight on average than those who only interacted with heavy individuals"
And obviously I'm not telling you to just go drop your friends who have bad habits and pick up new ones
I'm just saying, having people with similar goals, makes the journey that much easier!
Lastly, the last mental trait that separates you from your fitness goal is your RESILIENCE.
Truly, if you don't give up
Eventually, you will have to reach your goal
Inversely, if you do give up you will never reach your goal
I like to think of the story of Tom Brady here
Tom Brady was drafted as the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft
If you can't tell, that means 198 people were drafted to play before him
So, clearly nobody was anticipating that he would be any good
Athletics and performance wise, he didn't look so great
Tom Brady could've easily settled as a back up quarterback and made some money to support his family
And, that's what everybody expected from him
Nobody get's drafted that late and makes an impact on the NFL
But, he had other plans, he was going to prove all of us wrong, regardless of how bad he performed previously
He went on to become a starting quarterback, and lead his Patriots team to 6 Super Bowl wins.
And in-between that run, he lost many of them.
Not once did he think about quitting, instead he was always aiming to get another championship.
And now, he joined another team and one his 7th.
Point being, he was resilient since the day he stepped into the league.
You must be the same.
Be resilient, don't accept "no" for an answer, don't give up on your goals
Eventually, you will have no choice but to make it
In conclusion, here is the game plan
- Think positive thoughts and don't let the negative ones dictate your actions
- Make friends who share similar interests and goals
- Be resilient, learn not to give up on yourself
Hope this article helps, as always feel free to reach out with questions, or try out my FREE 14 day fitness challenge! :)
References
Andersson, M., & Christakis, N. (2016, May 26). Desire for weight loss, weight‐related social contact, and body mass outcomes. Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/oby.21512