Who doesn’t want to live longer, have more energy, enjoy better health, and create a fit body? There is a huge gap between being aware of the positive benefits of fitness, and the desire to be fit and practicing the behaviors that accomplish it. In between awareness and desire is mindset. Developing a mental approach to overcome long-held habits, such as attitude, self-confidence, ability to deal with setbacks, and commitment level, make it possible to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Here are a few guiding principles, attitudes and techniques that can allow you to adopt or eliminate behaviors that you desire:
Visualize Success. Ask yourself, what do I want my health to look like at the age of 50, 60, 70? How much energy do I want to have? What do I need to start doing today to get there? Imagine your future-self enjoying the benefits of achieving those goals and experience the good feelings.
Break old habits and establish new healthy ones. When making choices, pause, think and choose based on values and goals.
Set concrete goals and create milestones. Break your goals into a small number of manageable stepping-stones between now and the final goal.
Ingrain Health into your identity. Make yourself a priority. Set new habits that create the lifestyle you want to live. Find areas to focus on that will help you. Move forward now.
Success in achieving any goals, including fitness, requires positive mental health habits and motivation.
"The only journey is the journey within." Rainer Maria Rilke