Today I want to quickly disperse a common myth that you hear in the fitness industry all the time.
It goes a little something like this…
“If you want to get in the best shape of your life you have to work your butt off and being mentally tough. You have to do things that you don’t want to do and you have to have a mind that is as strong as steel.”
And while there is some truth to this I want to give you a quick reframe today that might help you view your health and fitness in a different light.
Why?
Think of it. When you hear the phrase “mental toughness” or “blood, sweat and tears” where does your mind go?
More importantly where does your heart go?
Seriously…
Do those phrases and clichés help you to feel good about bettering yourself, or do they instantly put a pit in your stomach and instill a sense of fear when it comes to exercise, good nutrition and everything else that will contribute to your health?
I think I know that answer. 😉
But what if it did not have to be that way? Wouldn’t that be cool?
Well, I have some great news for you…
The heaviness will start to fade once you understand that your life is giving you certain results because you have mental HABITS that are either helping you or sabotaging you.
For example, lets say that you have a mental habit that you started as a young kid around money. You were taught by your parents that money is easy to come by, and that you are intelligent enough to earn it and smart enough to save it. This is a mental habit that gives you a state of KNOWING that you are worthy of money and that you will take the necessary actions to acquire it.
In other words belief’s equal mental habits and mental habits translate into action. PERIOD!
Now let’s take this into health and fitness. Let’s say that you are out of shape you and you want to lose weight and start to look and feel better. You do your homework and everybody keeps reinforcing the mindset mantra and alluding to how “hard” it is to get and stay in shape. The fear subtly creeps in and your doubts begin to build up.
“Can I really do this for the rest of my life”, you ask yourself. You have bought into the conventional wisdom that your journey is going to be a long and tough road and that you will need a life time supply of will power and mental toughness.
Don’t believe it! It’s a lie!
Why You Don’t Need “Mental Toughness”
Okay follow me here…
Habits are simple to execute on because they are habits! They are literally designed to save you energy and help you stay alive.
Forming new habits is NOT easy and it does take time, work and effort on your part.
Are you seeing the magic yet? 😉
If you can mentally appreciate and accept that starting a new habit is going to be a little rough for a while but then you act on it anyway then you will also get the flipside of the habit equation which makes that new “hard” thing very easy in the long run!
So yes, starting a new exercise routine is NOT easy if you have not been exercising regularly for over 5 years. The first 2-6 months will be fraught with ups and downs and there is NO way around this phase.
BUT….
If you can make it past that sticking point that formerly “hard” activity becomes easy, and does NOT require mental toughness, tenacity or anything else that you see on the Instagram memes with bodybuilders and fitness models claiming that they are executing indelible willpower on a daily basis. It’s simply not true!
Why? Because it is now it is a habit and habits are EASY!
I am not saying that it is always easy to workout or eat clean when you feel like having a treat, but what I am saying is that does not FEEL hard or heavy or that I need to have an iron-clad will buttoned down with “mental toughness”.
For example I have days that I don’t feel like working out but I don’t sit there and wonder if I will actually go through with it or not because I have a firmly ensconced habit it drives me into action without me having to think about it.
Again, the hard part is the habit formation! It’s hard on the front side and easy on the back side. Think of it like a farmer. You till the soil, plant the seeds, do the weeding and all of the hard work up front but then the harvest comes and you can kick back enjoy the spoils.
It’s time for us to reframe this whole “fitness is hard” mindset and realize that you will only need the “iron will” and the hard work for a season until you harvest the fruits of your new habit.
So here is to your new habit! May it serve you for the rest of your life! 🙂
Please COMMENT here because I am anxious to hear what you think!
P.S. If you would like some help with the habit formation process we can help! In fact we are experts in that field! If you would like a free consultation to learn more click here: https://www.llfit.com/consultations/
Life is Good!
