4 Health Mindsets to Quit in 2018
As a fitness trainer and coach, January makes me cringe. I know, I know. I should be taking advantage of it. This is the time when people are motivated and ready to hear my advice, do my workouts, and hire me as a health coach, BUT I know that for most people, the motivation is short. A mere 2-3 weeks is all they can give towards their healthy resolutions so any real change is hardly doable.
It's those people who are willing to commit at least 2-3 months who will make some large advancements towards their goals.
With that said, however, this doesn't mean that there aren't small things that I can motivate and equip you with that will perhaps stick in your head! I see alot of the same mindsets and behaviors with people over the years and see many of the mishaps people fall into in regards to their goals.
I am going to give you 4 health mindsets you can just go ahead and quit right now.
1.) The "all or nothing" approach
This approach will derail you faster than anything! What this approach doesn't take into account is something called life. It makes you live in extremes and while that's great while you are "in" the extreme, it's terrible while you are "out". There is a moderation spot to be found which takes trial & error, grace, and some boldness to trust yourself in some new waters.
2.) The "this worked in the past so it will work now" approach
I had a client that once told me she did the "subway diet" in her 20s and it always worked well for her. No breakfast. A subway sandwich for lunch and a salad for dinner. Repeat x7 days a week. She was trying this same "diet" in her 30s to no avail. Well not only is that boring (and expensive!) but trying to take something that worked in one decade of life and transplanting it to another decade is impossible. Your body, hormones, sleep, stress and more are SO DIFFERENT decade to decade. The better question to ask is, "What is the best health goal for me, RIGHT NOW, taking into consideration my age and many other factors?" It requires fresh eyes.
3.) The "my scale has moved/not moved" as a measure of success approach
The scale has become the gold standard for many women as a factor if they are successful or not in their health goals. It gives us a quick snapshot of where we are...or so we think. It's really not that accurate unless you are taking into consideration water, fat, and muscle. I don't have a problem with the scale but I don't want that to be the only factor you use to measure your health goals. Use some other things (non-scale victories aka: NSV) such as quality of sleep, endurance in workout, increase in strength, and more positive thinking around your body.
4.) The "I've got this all on my own" approach
"No one will stop me! I've got this all on my own!" It's this us against the world mentality and I'd encourage everyone to tap into it, with the exception of one thing--we can't do it alone. We MUST have at least one or two friends to keep us accountable and cheer us on. We also must remember the other and perhaps most important force---the Holy Spirit. We must be praying and asking Him to intercede and intervene in our weaknesses and to give us divine wisdom and discernment in regards to all the choices that come around eating and exercise. If you think you have this all on your own, think again. Maybe the first piece to your New Year's resolution needs to be prayer...inviting God into your health day in and day out. What a game changer.
If you have one or any of these mindsets, don't beat yourself up. These are very common and we've picked them up somewhere along the way. My goal is to help retrain and renew your mind and we know that this is indeed possible via the help of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Word of God! Choose one of the mindsets that you find yourself going back to most often and journal over and pray about it. Take note of it every time it pops up, then replace it with the truth. If there is another one then add that on for month two. Keep at it as heart and head work isn't just a one-time process. It is a lifetime journey that requires us dying to ourselves every day and reaching out in our weakness!
If you are interested in a healthy-mindset challenge on your own for 2018, check out my Living and Active Challenge: Your 5-Week Training Guide for Body and Soul. Or grab a couple of girlfriends and follow the challenge together. I also hold a "live" Living and Active challenge each September on my blog so save the date!
Press on!
Clare Smith
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