You know the old saying, "if you believe you can or if you believe you can't - you're right?", or perhaps the John Milton quote "The mind is its own place and in itself can make a Heaven of hell, a Hell of Heaven."Think about it - two people could wake up to pouring rain outside - one person might think how lovely the rain sounds and how good it is that it is raining , the other person could be cursing the rain and allowing the rain to ruin their mood.The mind is incredibly powerful - and is the VERY reason we are either successful or unsuccessful in reaching our goals.We know that mindset is important when it comes to losing weight - but often we tend to glaze over just HOW important it is and how it effects our results.Here are some common mindset traps and tips on how to overcome them so that you can FINALLY get the body of your dreams and feel your best ever.
Mindset trap 1: You don't believe you deserve it
So often we think we are "un-fixable" - and that we are destined to repeat a never ending cycle of self sabotage.This couldn't be further from the truth.So many people think that just because they've "tried" hundreds of times without long term success - that they never will.As a coach I can tell you that I’ve been able to witness people who thought they would “NEVER” reach a goal, be able to turn EVERYTHING around.Most of the time it has nothing to do with the food - or the workouts - rather you BELIEVING that you actually deserve to reach the goals that you have.If you truly believe that you are capable of reaching your goals, and COMMITTED to reaching them - then the rest becomes easier. It becomes easier for you to pre-plan your meals, it becomes easier for you to make healthy choices, and it becomes easier for you to get your workouts in (notice how I didn't say EASY - rather EASIER lol!).
If you don't believe you deserve to reach your goals - and if you don't commit to the process - you will find yourself half-ass "doing it" which will only yield mediocre results. Discipline becomes easier once you make peace with the fact that you WILL commit and that you DESERVE to get there.One of my favorite quotes is "You are one decision away from an entirely different life" - Mark Batterson. Think about this concept for a moment, how powerful is that? How cool is that? You could literally decide right now that you wanted to embark on a weight loss journey and so long as you BELIEVE you deserve it and COMMIT to the process - your world could be entirely different.You have the power at any moment, to change your entire life. The question is - how bad do you want it?
Mindset trap 2: You aren't honest about what your non-negtioables are.
If you know anything about my strategy and beliefs in helping women reach their goals - you know I am NOT a fan of cookie cutter programs and one size fits all approaches.Truth is - we are all SO different - and need a little something different when it comes to reaching our goals and feeling our best. (#bioindividuality)Knowing YOURSELF and being realistic about what feels GOOD for you is FOUNDATIONAL to getting the results you want.
This is why when I onboard clients I want to know EVERYTHING about their lifestyle and preferences.For example - I recently took on a client who REALLY didn’t want to get a gym membership during her first month - BUT she was willing to get an adjustable set of weights in order to perform the workouts.I knew that she was going to be making a lot of nutritional changes because we have digestive work to do along with working towards her weight loss goals - so I was OK with allowing her to workout with an adjustable set of weights from home.While her current program is PUSHING her outside of her comfort zone, it’s doing so in a way that feels GOOD for her. (Plus she has already dropped 3 lb in less than a week!).It’s OK to refuse to wake up at 4 am so that you can make a 5 am bootcamp class if you TRULY hate working out in the morning (but maybe that means you go after work!).It’s OK to refuse to eat broccoli because you can’t stand the taste (but maybe you have asparagus instead).My point is, it’s important to know what your non-negotiables are and honor them, BUT that being said - this doesn’t mean that just because you “hate” working out or healthy food that you should avoid it (LOL), you’ve got to be able to call yourself out if you are just being lazy !!!! Build a plan that challenges you - in a way that feels GOOD to ensure you set yourself up for long term success!
Mindset trap 3: Thinking it will be EASY
Ok so I know I just talked all about non-negotiables and working towards your goals in a way that feels good but the truth is achieving ANY goal and changing habits is going to require some sort of pain.In fact, I often tell my clients that fat loss requires pain. In fact, achieving any goal in life requires some amount of pain.Now - I’m not talking about pain in the literal sense - more-so the mental aspect of having to do things that are uncomfortable and feel PAINFUL.
One of the very first steps in making strides towards your goal is making peace with the fact that pain will be required - you will be tested and pushed outside of your comfort zone.In the case of weight loss - I don’t believe ANYONE who says it’s going to be “easy” or who promises that there will not be sacrifices involved.Because - you know what? It’s hard as heck when all you want to do is relax with a couple glasses of wine at the end of your week - or 3 slices of pizza on girl’s night. It’s painful to have to cut back on habits that have become part of your normal life.But the truth is - in order for change to occur - you’ve got to MAKE changes. Creating new habits requires discipline and determination but you have to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel - and that by honoring your goals and staying on track - you will be able to achieve the goal you have.I recommend that you give yourself 1 month to get consistent in working towards your goal .... if you think about it - 4 weeks is a small period in time - where you can truly make significant progress (both mindset wise and body composition wise) towards your goal.BUT - you’ve got to accept that the 4 weeks will be challenging - you’ve got to make peace with the pain. And, once you accept that it won’t be easy - but it will be worth it- you are able to more TRULY move forward and stay on track - FULL STEAM AHEAD.
Mindset trap 4: You aren't being honest with yourself about your compliancy
Sometimes we've got to surrender to the truth because that's what sets us free, are you a little too lenient on the weekends? Are you consciously (or unconsciously) overdoing it?
There is NOTHING more frustrating than working your butt off Monday - Thursday, only to completely undo all of your hard work Friday - Sunday.The weekends are not an excuse to give up on your goals. In fact - your weekend habits can be the very reason you aren't REACHING them. (note - of course perhaps in your case it might not be the weekends that you overdo it - rather it could be a few extra DAILY bites - point being - are you not being honest with yourself?!).
Mindset Trap 5: Not taking it day by day, decision by decision
Big change comes from the daily decisions that we make and habits that we do. So often we get caught up in the BIG picture - the BIG goals - the BIG changes. When in reality - deciding to have 1 serving of guacamole instead of 2, working out for 10 extra minutes instead of going home, and walking to work instead of driving are small decisions that add up to BIG changes. It's true what they say - if you want to change your life - look at your daily routine! Getting in the right mindset can be challenging - especially if you are trying to reach your goals on your own. I invite you to reach out to me and say hi so that we can chat about how I might be able to help you :)
