Attitude is Everything

It’s so exciting to see and hear everyone’s enthusiasm as they all make such amazing strides to reach their goals!  Every day between posts, I am constantly listening to and observing some amazing journeys which inspire each of these write-ups every week so here goes!

The path to wellness is so much more than just a physical journey for all of us.  Even for those who coach, counsel, instruct and guide, we are always working on the right state of mind as we approach not just our own challenges but our day-to-day choices in life.  The key to maintaining the momentum in the direction towards health will always begin with our mindset, our attitudes and most simply in the words that we use.

Having the right attitude in every situation is always going to be essential for success but especially for those who are starting to experience a lull in your weight loss.  I plan to have a separate post completely dedicated to “weight loss plateaus” but today I want to address the biggest challenge, in my opinion, that can keep anyone from breaking through those initial 20-40 lbs so you can KEEP THAT MOMENTUM GOING!  Keep the following in mind the next time you notice yourself think, speak or act in a way that will not help along your progress and ADJUST it!

1. “Get your mind right!”  As some may know, this is one of Ingrid’s favorite sayings that motivates us where we train at Octane Athletic Performance.  Remembering that you choose a healthier you every time you even plan to go to class, then get dressed for it, drive to it, warm-up, dance to every song or do every exercise, cool-down, rehydrate and refuel and then rest to recover.  All of that is YOU.  You put in the work, you take the advice, you put in the energy and you make that happen.  Be proud of yourself and your progress!  Don’t allow any “yeah, buts…” in your mind or your conversations:  Yeah, but I still have xx lbs to go, or xx sizes to drop…it doesn’t matter!  You’re doing the work now!  You’re closer than you were before and every day you make these choices you get closer still!  Yeah, but this exercise is too hard for me, I can’t do it…it only is if you THINK it is!  We all have to start somewhere—only with consistency do we gain strength and improve fitness.  Slow down, maintain your form and adjust as necessary but DON’T STOP trying!  I still remember my very first class with Ingrid almost two years ago and I thought I was going to PASS OUT!!  I was terrified!!!  Do you remember YOUR first intense training class, attempt at new exercises or a new workout???  And if you’ve kept it up, look at you now…amazing!!!
2. Don’t waste your time on negative assessments of choices you’ve already made!!!  I know I’ve said this before, in posts and in person, and I’m saying it again:  Be KIND to yourself.  Love yourself, love your body and accept yourself!  There’s no need to spend time saying that you ate something “bad” for you.  Eating is a necessity, it’s nourishing and it fuels your body so if you physically feel bad after eating something,  your body is telling you it doesn’t like that food anymore, it doesn’t want that food anymore or it was given too much of something it didn’t need.  Take those lessons inward, evaluate what you could have done differently and then be conscious of your choices next time based on what you learned so you have a better experience.  If you think it was “bad” for you but you enjoyed it, focus on the fact that you enjoyed it, it was not an everyday, every meal indulgence and then let it go.  Don’t waste your energy on any negativity.  It has no benefit to you or anyone else and our thoughts and words are much more powerful than we sometimes realize.

I share this post with so much love because you know I was there with you at one point in time and even to this day, I still have to work on evaluating myself with less criticism and more appreciation.  Our bodies are incredibly adaptable and it’s up to us to give it the tools to do what it’s supposed to do.  With the right attitude and mindset we can always practice adjusting our thoughts and our words to help us along and soon most of those bad habits will be left completely in the past, right along with the “old you”.