This “I am not enough” feeling is often an underlying motivator, which is based on negativity or fear. Operating from this place means that you go about your weight loss journey fearing what will happen if you don’t exercise or eat well.

The subconscious focus then becomes about “having” to exercise or eat well because if you don’t, the consequences will be weight gain which will further reinforces your “I am not enough” mentality.  This is what keeps women locked in a vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting and over-exercising.

Operating from a positive or loving mindset is completely different. Pursuing a fitness goal becomes less about “not being enough” and more about adding value to your life. A positive mindset is one that says, “I am confident, powerful and sexy right now, and this is an opportunity to become the very best version of myself”.

Now you may be thinking, okay but how does this help my fitness regime?  Well it goes back to what I outlined previously – perception is everything.

You get to choose how to view your regime. One of the best ways to enjoy it is to view is as an opportunity for you to grow as a person. It is an opportunity for you to challenge your body, to nurture it, to move it in ways that it hasn’t moved before, and it is an opportunity to change your body for the better. You get to choose your outcome.

Any fitness regime is going to have challenging elements but how you choose to react to those challenges will determine whether or not you eventually reap the rewards.

Having a positive mindset is crucial to your success. Once you cultivate that mindset, you can then move on to other key ways to actually enjoy your regime.

6 hot tips to enjoy getting fit:

1. Exercise with a like-minded friend or a group of friends. Research shows that working out with others keeps us motivated because we are more likely to push ourselves. It also helps with accountability, and of course, exercising with others is always fun.
2. Explore different modalities of exercise like dance or something crazy like aerial silks.
3. Release your inner gourmet by enrolling in cooking classes and taking a vested interest in different ways to cook and prepare healthy meals.
4. Make a list of all the positive side effects that you get with your program – increased strength, fitness, balance, glowing skin, more energy, improved sleep and new experiences. Focus on these and not just your weight.
5. Celebrate your mini victories. Every time you reach a different milestone such as lifting heavier weights, losing a few kilos or changing a poor behavior to a positive one, treat yourself to a non-food related reward like a massage.
6. Book yourself into a challenging event, for example a mud run. This gives you a different focus.

Now, go out there and be that woman who says, “I cannot wait to train legs today!”

What’s your exercise philosophy? Swap it with others in the comments section below!

 

Nardia Norman is a self-confessed training and nutrition geek who was recently awarded the Australian Fitness Network Personal Trainer of the Year 2014. She is also the author of “Fat Attack; The Secrets Behind The World’s Biggest Loser”. More about her can be found at www.nardianorman.com.

 

 

 

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