Mindset: Temporary vs Permanence & How it Affects Your Results
Hope you are all in the summer groove, that you had a great 4th of July weekend, and have since recovered, and are getting back into your fitness and nutrition regimens!
An update on my end: I have been working with clients throughout my pregnancy, and have just hit week 38, so almost there! I am feeling good overall, but also ready for the next chapter to begin, and though I will be taking a bit of a break, I just wanted to share with you the thoughts I have had recently on mindset and how it may be affecting your results.
TROUBLE COMMITTING
One of my clients this week had mentioned to me that she is still having a hard time committing to workouts and her nutrition without the obligation of meeting with me. I mentioned to her that part of the problem as to why she is having this problem is her mindset. She is still thinking about her fitness and nutrition program as being temporary, rather than permanent. As in what is she going to do when someone is not there over her shoulder telling her exactly what to do. Not that I want her to need me permanently but that the changes she has worked so hard to achieve over the last 4 months and the tools that she has already learned are there to be sustained as a new lifestyle, and one that is permanent, though the smaller goals may shift. She is now going to be tested by having to continue her program while I head on maternity leave, and I am sure she will succeed.
I use this example because many of the terms used in health & fitness are typically interpreted by most as being temporary. Meaning that the health, fitness, and nutrition goals that you set are typically short term, and therefore short lived. The problem with this mindset is that it can naturally propel you into a yoyo effect.
For example, take the term “diet.” Most people go on a diet for a specific reason and for a specific period of time, for example:
a 14 day cleanse
a 30 day reset diet
or a 60 day plan.
In addition, most people think in a short-term results mindset like this:
“I have to get ready for my wedding”
“vacation is coming up and I want to look good in bathing suit”
“I still need to lose the baby weight”
“I want to lose 50lbs.
This is all great to get you going, but from what I have seen, this temporary mindset is why most diets and fitness programs fail, and it may be a contributing factor as to why you end up losing the results you worked so hard to achieve. It’s great to have goals, in fact, goals are a key ingredient to motivate you towards change, but once you get there, then what? Often times, I hear this:
“I felt so great at my wedding, then I went on my honeymoon, and when I came back, I just didn’t have time anymore”
“I felt great on vacation, but towards the end, I let everything go, and now 2 months later, I no longer feel good in a bathing suit because my eating has gone to sh*!”
“I lost the baby weight, but then when I had a 2nd, I packed It back on and more, and can’t seem to get any of it off now.”
“I lost 50lbs! but over the last year, I have gained back 20.”
MAKE THE SHIFT
If any of this sounds familiar, then take a look at your state of mind. What if you shifted your mindset towards thinking this: how would I feel if I kept the weight off? If I looked just as good a year out from my wedding? I now always feel good in a bathing suit? If I have gotten an even stronger and better results post baby, and have kept it off, and now I feel even better for #2?
TIP
The point is, don’t work so hard to take steps forward just to then fall backwards. Once you have worked hard to change one habit, to achieve one result, or you’ve checked off one goal, the point should then be to sustain it, then to make another one, and simply keep building upon one success at a time.
ACHIEVE RESULTS
The main focus with my programs, is getting you to a point of sustainability, which can be achieved through thinking about the changes that you make in exercise and nutrition as making small lifestyle shifts that lead to permanent change. Change the way you think of your goals as a mindset towards permanence, and your results will be sure to last.
Just some food for thought as you are enjoying your summer and starting to plan for the fall!
And as you plan for fall, I I would love to personally invite you to book a complimentary consult with me where we can discuss how you can not only achieve results, but how to maintain them, and how you can continue to find ways of making them permanent. Limited spots available, so reserve your spot here, and let’s change your mindset.