No matter how fit or healthy we may feel, we all have some influence on how we think and what our past experiences have done to us. I certainly did not start out life as a fit kid naturally into sports. Actually, I was quite the opposite. At 10 years old, I was a very overweight little girl. I felt complete embarrassment. I felt immense shame. I felt like a defect.
My health and fitness did not start to flourish until I began modeling my mentality after truly fit and healthy people. I learned this at a deeper level while attaining my master’s degree in sports psychology and seeing my colleagues’ and clients’ lives changing phenomenally by upgrading specific thoughts. Everything starts in the mind.
Five Mindsets for the Healthy
Mindset #1: People who are healthy believe that they have complete control over their destiny, rather than being predetermined.
The healthy do not allow physical limitations to prevent them from reaching their divine destiny. Born without arms & legs, Nick Vujicic’s life was certainly never easy. He has overcome adversity and his life is now filled with joy and purpose. Nick, now 30, has a wife, and they travel the globe sharing inspiring messages of hope, accomplishment, and love. He understood that everyone needs love and hope, and that he was uniquely positioned to share it with others. He also says “Dream big my friend and never give up. Everyone makes mistakes. But no one is perfect. How can the world rise from your presence? After all, you did arrive for a divine purpose.
Mindset #2: The healthy get their metabolism to work for them instead of trading time for health.
A healthy metabolism investor is well-informed on nutrition and a workout program that works. They master the skill of consistency, and long term, their metabolism begins to pay back to them! Because their hormonal system & metabolism are running efficiently, they can be burning fat more efficiently during workouts and even at rest!
Mindset #3: Healthy people have a positive influence on their family members and friends, and they bring them along on the journey.
Mark, one of my most inspirational clients, had spent many years on a downward spiraling addiction path of drugs, alcoholism, and jail time. He could have easily lost the rest of his life. He hired me to rebuild his body and life. Mark dedicated his entire life to quality nutrition, workouts, and a better life. Mark became a strong, muscular man and lost 5% of his body fat. I helped him achieve his personal training certification. Mark is now sober, continues to support his family, friends and community through his fitness training, and has inspired many.
Mindset #4: Healthy people focus on opportunities instead of obstacles.
Sports psychologists use mental skills training to help enhance athletes’ performance. This training involves looking at the positive side of any situation. This is positive psychology. According to Seligman, ‘seeing obstacles instead of opportunities doesn’t just affect behavior; it also reaches down to the cellular level and makes the immune system more passive. When faced with a challenge, healthy people are more likely to stick to their exercise program and not abandon it altogether. Practicing a daily positive attitude is a source of inner strength and overall health.
Mindset #5: Healthy people see fear differently – they learn to act in spite of it.
Pema Chodron said, “If you never know the nature of fear, then you can never be fearless.” Healthy people are able to recognize fear and move forward regardless of it. They understand that fear is a natural reaction to learning more about the truth or achieving higher goals.
Stefanie Basso
NSCA Certified Trainer, NCSF Sport Nutrition Specialist BA Exercise Science, MS Sport Psychology
Ph.D. Holistic Nutrition San Diego, CA 92122
Email: [email protected], www.steffitness.com
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