Our minds are so powerful & so often we go unaware of the messages & beliefs that hold us back from living our fullest, most fulfilling lives.
When we work with clients we love to emphasize the power of Mindset & how at the foundation of so many of our health & fitness practices, is the belief of whether or not we’ll fail or succeed. The mind is truly the best place to start when moving toward your goals. Here are 5 of our favorite ways to create a healthy, open mindset.
Focus on & Celebrate Your Wins: This may seem logical, but its not always in reality. Our brain loves to focus on where we are failing or how we could have done better. One of the best ways to change this is by focusing on where you won throughout your week. Your wins might look like going to bed a little earlier each night, drinking more water throughout the day, moving your body each day, adding a veggie to every meal, making an effort to connect with a friend. Every choice you make to embrace a healthier lifestyle is so incredibly important, & when you nail it you deserve to count it as a win!
Practice Curiosity Instead of Criticism: When you are struggling in an area instead of automatically criticizing yourself, open the curiosity of your mind to ask “why?” Why do I tend to overeat after a stressful day? Why is it hard for me to keep my fitness commitments to myself? Why do I stay up late when I know it will make me feel bad the next day? Try to truly be curious in this & find out the why’s instead of being critical. More often than not, our self criticism holds us back instead of moving us forward—choose curiosity instead.
Picture Yourself In Your Goal: Whether this is 6 weeks down the road, 1 year down the road or 10 years, visualize yourself in your mind as though you are there & have accomplished that goal. What does it feel like? What does it look like? How are you living, eating, moving now that you’ve accomplished your goal? What are your emotions? Let it all sink in. One practice we love in this area is dreaming in our journals & creating a very specific picture of “5 years from now” where you live, who you spend time with, where you work, how you play, all the details pictured clearly in your mind so that you can move toward that clear picture.
Use Action Oriented Goals: So often in our minds we hold on to outcome goals such as “lose a certain amount of weight” or “squat a certain amount of pounds.” Often these outcome goals are truly out of our control, but we CAN control our behavior that will help us reach those goals. We love behavior goals because they are specific, measurable & attainable. Goals like, go to sleep at a certain time each night, go to the gym x number of days each week, eat one serving of veggies at every meal/snack, drink a glass of water with lemon upon waking, these are great examples of behavioral goals. When you set your mind on healthy behaviors, you will see your healthy outcomes follow.
Clear Out Your Mental Chatter: What is on the soundtrack of your mind? Most of us don’t even know because its been playing so very long. This is the beauty of having a mindfulness or meditation practice. Sitting quietly with yourself can actually be excruciating. When we stop all the doing & are just there with ourselves we can be very uncomfortable with what we find is going on in our minds. But if you approach this time with curiosity & compassion it will guide you to realize that you do have control over the loops that run in your mind & as you are able to quiet your thoughts you will connect even deeper to your heart, your true desires, & your true self. One way we like to do this is to focus on our breath, or to choose one simple word (like Love, Peace, Grace) & gently think about this word or the circle of our breath going in & out. Start with 10 minutes & gradually build up to 20 & this practice can truly change your life.
We believe in you & we know when you become confident & adopt a mindset of love & grace you are capable of anything! Xo, L&C