Not meeting your health goals? Change your mindset - Change the outcome.
You had your New Year’s resolution to lose weight and become fit written down and you thought this is the year that you were going to do it.
But today you realise that it’s been a couple of months and nothing’s changed.
Or perhaps you had a special occasion like a wedding or beach holiday, and you wanted to lose weight for that occasion, spend hours at the gym, half-starved yourself, only to find that you stop exercising when you hit your goal. Whyyyyy!
We should change the way we see exercise. Exercise shouldn’t be punishment for what we’ve eaten or just to burn calories. It should be a way of life, as a means to be healthy. If we don’t change our mindset of what exercise is, we will end back at the vicious cycle of overeating > punish yourself by exercising till you drop> rinse> repeat.
This cycle only puts you at greater risk of gaining the weight that you’ve lost, because you have not changed your mindset.
So how do we change our mindset?
The reason you work out has to be less about calories and more about your ‘Why.’ Why do you want to exercise? Do you want to be able to do the things you love like gardening and not be tired and sore afterwards? Or do you want to keep up with your grandbabies and not be breathless and tired? What's your great Why?
For me, being over 50 means that exercise is like a bank, and every time I workout I make a deposit for my future health.
Instead of looking at exercise only to burn calories, I think of it as a privilege.
There are many things to be grateful for, being able to move freely is a luxury given to few. Having a body that is able to move is a privilege. Many who are immobile could only dream of moving.
2. Do exercise that you enjoy doing.
Statistics show that if you do something that you enjoy doing, it won’t feel like an effort. Try something fun and new like Zumba, cardio tennis, water aerobics or join a walking group.
If you are looking to exercise to reduce stress, try Pilates or yoga classes (even if they are via zoom).
Only you know what matters to you. What do you need to do to keep motivated?
Make it sociable. Do you need a friend to join you for classes or keep you accountable?
The benefits of exercise run far way deeper than simply losing weight.
When you exercise, notice how you feel afterwards. Are you more energised? Less stressed? Hold onto that good feeling for the next time you’re unmotivated to exercise.
Other benefits of exercising are it helps to maintain mental wellbeing, improves your mood, and helps you sleep better.
Helps strengthen bones and improves muscles and joints, lowers the risk of developing osteoporosis
It reduces the risk of heart disease
It lowers blood pressure
Lowers your risk of falls
Helps manage your body weight
Exercise helps lower the risk of type 2 diabetes
Exercise is essential for good mental, physical and us
It reduces the risk of some cancers
Exercising creates opportunities for socializing and meeting new people.
3. Track your fitness goals and stats rather than how many calories you burn.
Keeping a Fitness Goal and Stats Tracker (blood pressure, cholesterol etc) and/or a Journal will make a huge difference in shifting your mind from calories to outcome results. This gives you a visual aid to how you are progressing, or how fit or strong you are becoming which in turn empowers you from the inside out. Seeing how you’ve improved will motivate you to keep going.
Do you have high cholesterol? How has it improved since exercising?
Do you have high blood pressure? How has it improved?
How has your resting heart rate improved since exercising? (Resting heart rate can be measured 3 mornings before getting out of bed, take the average of the 3 and that’s your resting heart rate. This is used to measure how fast you recover from increasing your heart rate to resting heart rate.)
How has your mood or mental health improved since exercising?
Have you increased your hand weights since starting? Write it down.
Are you sleeping better?
How has your energy level improved?
4. Make exercise a way of life.
Make an appointment with yourself to exercise, and keep it, just as you would keep a doctor’s appointment.
Consistency is key. Start small like walking during your lunch break for 10 minutes twice a week over a 3 week period, then increase it to 15 minutes 3 times a week, and so on.
I have found that people who have never exercised before, don’t start small, they exercise every day and want to know why they lose their mojo. Consistent baby steps are what make the difference.
5. Have a weekly exercise plan mapped out.
I prefer to plan my week on Sunday for the following week. I look at appointments that I may have and diarize them, I add my exercise times into my diary, just as I would a class or doctor’s appointment. If you find this too rigid for you, have an idea when you will exercise i.e. when I arrive home, I will swap my work shoes for my walking shoes and go out for a walk with the dog.
Knowing what you are going to be doing helps when you are pressed for time, you won’t waste precious time scrolling through YouTube videos to find the right workout for you.
Note the days where you will have less energy and adapt your workouts around that.
If you are pressed for time on some days, do a 10 minute HIIT workout or a 10-minute stretch.
6. Prepare your workout clothes the night before.
If you are a morning person, lace up your shoes and go for a morning walk before the heat of the day strikes.
If you are not a morning person and the thought of getting up early curls your toes, pack your walking shoes in your car. and find your favourite walking trail on the way home. Not only will this help in destressing you from your day, but also prevents family and meal prepping from preventing you from exercising later.
7. Sneak movement/exercise during the day.
Get up and walk around the office every hour. If you work from home, walk up and down your street.
Take your lunch outside and take a brisk walk afterward.
Park further away from the shop entrance.
Our body is so awesome that it accumulates what you’ve done in the day
i.e. do 10 plies or calf raises while brushing your teeth
or 10 counter push-ups while the kettle boils
or do walking lunges every time you walk down the passage
or keep your band attached to the door handle and every time you pass through the door, do some band rows.
“One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things yo’ve always wanted.
Do it now.” - Paulo Coelho
What do you think? Could this be the missing link to not achieving your fitness goals? Let me know in the comments below. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Resources:
https://www.livestrong.com/article/13732073-why-you-shouldnt-exercise-to-lose-weight/