A great quality life and optimal levels of health and fitness are available to the vast majority of people in Ireland.
Besides issues that are outside of someones control, such as medical condition, an accident, etc., people in general have the resources available to them to feel pretty great most of the time, yet, unfortunately, the majority of people don’t in my experience.
People who enjoy the massive benefits that a rewarding, high quality life offers don’t really have access to any secret that isn’t available to those who struggle through each day due to the choices they make on a regular basis.
- Exercise is some form is freely available to everyone
- Drinking water to stay fully hydrated is available to all (most oil the time at least)
- Getting 7-8 hours sleep per day is within most peoples control
- Meditating to reduce stress doesn’t cost anything
- Buying nutrient dense fruit and vegetables fits into most peoples budget
Doing these things (amongst other pretty accessible things) on a regular basis is what allows someone to tap into and access their full potential for living a good life where they are energised, healthy, strong, confident, fit, etc.
And with the huge amount of information available in books, blogs, google, podcasts, Youtube, etc. we definitely can’t blame a lack of accessible information that is only available to a select few.
So what makes the difference in whether or not you enjoy the rewards of a high quality life or not, bar a freak accident, rare medial condition, etc.
Here’s a clue.
I was talking to a client after her session this morning and she was saying how her mindset was changing towards training and her health in general. She said she is just feeling so much better in herself lately and that it’s her mental attitude to doing the work, being coachable, enjoying the process, taking time for herself and applying what she learns that is making the biggest difference.
And that’s the key (or you can call it a secret if you’d prefer) that most people are missing. They don’t take time to develop the mindset that is needed to be healthy, fit, etc. Instead, they try and to smash themselves in the gym and overhaul their entire lifestyle without truly making that all-important mindset shift.
Old mindset equals same result.
One the other hand though…………..
17 vital mindset shifts you have to make for optimal health, fitness and wellbeing. A word of advice, don’t try to do them all at the same time. It has never worked for anyone and it won’t work for you.
- You’re going to have good days and bad days. Make use of the good days but don’t throw in the towel on the bad days. Get back up and move on
- People who say they are all or nothing usually end up doing nothing. Developing optimal health is a marathon, not a sprint
- You can’t do it alone. Finding support, a mentor, etc. is key to success for most people. It removes so much of the guesswork
- Your need to have a powerful Why to drive you through he tough times. Losing fat is a poor WHY on its own but losing weight so you can play football with your kids is a much more powerful reason
- Kaizen- small, constant, gradual improvements. This snowballs into massive results over time and needs to be the backbone of your mindset
- Deliberate practice- this means doing the work even when you don’t want to do it. Delayed gratification.
- A skill lost by many, except the fit and healthy. Adopt the attitude that you don’t need to have a bar of chocolate every time you want one.
- Meet yourself where you’re at. If you’re in a rut then you’re win a rut. Make decision based on that reality not on the reality of someone who is super fit
- Listen to the people you pay. If you don’t trust their advice then stop paying them.
- Mimic the behaviours of others who have achieved what you want to achieve. Ask some who quit smoking what worked for them and then apply it. It’s the concept of standing on the shoulders of giants so you can see further.
- Don’t broadcast it to the whole world o social media. People who do rarely follow through as they can’t live up to the expectations that they have set.
- Celebrate your successes. Did you hit a milestone. Great. Celebrate it and move onto the next
- Enjoy the journey. Those who fight it always find reasons to quit. Those who embrace it always find reasons to continue
- You can’t out train a horrible lifestyle. You can try but you’ll be bitterly disappointed so get it together.
- Your health an d fitness needs to be a well cared for and consistent slice of your life pie. It can’t dominate your every though and action
It’s a list that could continue on forever but these 15 mindset shifts are a great place to start and will transform your quality of life if you take them to heart and apply them. I’ve seen them work for countless clients and not a single one of them has regretted putting in the work to develop them.
If you’ve got thoughts or insights to share regarding this blog, be sure to leave your comments below.
Steve McGrath
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