There is a saying in the fitness industry that ninety per cent of weight loss and general fat loss problems are psychological. Issues in the mind are the key reason why people end up failing with their fitness journey. Ultimately it is your mind that gives up, not your body.
During your journey, you will go through a whole load of positive and negative emotions, from excitement, happiness, determination and joy to frustration, fear, self-doubt and confusion. These emotions can be regular features if your mind is not clear, focused and aligned with reaching the goal that you have set for yourself.
So, although training, exercise, nutrition and recovery play huge roles in the success of an individual, it is also vital that you are in a positive, excited, happy state throughout. This is personal development, and without it, you are going to struggle to achieve great results.
But why is it so important? How can personal development be the determining factor between success and failure?
Growth Mindset
Many people enter their fitness journey with what we call a fixed mindset. This is a state in which you do not think you can change, make progress, or reach the goals that you have set out for yourself. It is a lack of belief in yourself. A fixed mindset could well come from trying different diets and programmes in the past, or simply not having the knowledge of how to reach a target in an enjoyable, sustainable way.
However, it is important that this mental state is removed as soon as possible. Half of the battle is believing you can do it and if you do not adopt a growth mindset, where you are focused on reaching your goals through improvement and progress, you are going to struggle to stick to the long-term plan. Starting your journey with a fixed mindset almost makes sure that you lose the battle before you even begin, so aim to change your mentality, focus on getting better and you will buy into the process much more.
Belief from Progression
As mentioned before, there is a good chance that you will have entered your fitness journey with a fixed mindset or at least some psychological limitations that are holding you back. However, it is important to understand that with progression comes belief when you know what the early signs of progression are. It is going to take a long time for you to get a noticeable before and after photo, yet looking at other areas such as feeling slimmer, fitting into clothes better, feeling stronger, noticing firmer muscles, having more energy, being lighter on the scales and lifting more weight are all great signs of progress.
Not only does this show that you are on the right track towards your goals, but it also gives you the belief and confidence that you can do what you set out to achieve. More belief is a form of personal development because is it gives you the confidence to go and achieve more, not just with your fitness goals but in other areas of life also. So, understand the many ways of judging progress and your belief and confidence will improve.
Enjoyment
While you are in the game to achieve results, it is vital that you enjoy the process as much as you can. It is going to take months of consistency, discipline, and routine to see the big changes that you are looking for, so you may as well have fun along the way, celebrate the small wins and look at the progress you have made, rather than the months of hard work ahead of you.
Plenty of people do not enjoy training, which is fine, and while it is much easier to enjoy challenging yourself with exercises that you are becoming accustomed to, you do not have to look at the process negatively if you are not having fun in your sessions. However, you should definitely enjoy the way training makes you feel.
Appreciation
A huge part of personal development is appreciation and gratitude for what you currently have and the progress that you have made so far. It is common for the human mind to focus on the negatives, the areas to improve on and the long journey ahead of you, which can affect your mindset and positivity during your journey. This can then lead to a lack of enjoyment, overwhelm and intimidation during the process which may affect your performance and consistency.
However, there is a way in which you can turn this on its head. You can start to appreciate the gifts you already have in your life and how it has benefitted you so far. Furthermore, if you are several weeks and months into your journey, you can start to appreciate how far you have come and the positive changes you have already made. Showing this appreciation will boost your self-confidence and increase your excitement for the weeks and months to come.
Summary
So, if you want to achieve great results, working on your personal development is essential. This is through having a growth mindset, increasing your belief from progressing, enjoyment of the journey and appreciating what you have and how far you have already come. If you can master these areas, your mindset will shift, meaning that you will attack your goals with more purpose, and reach the targets that you set for yourself.
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