Before we begin…. Yes this may be cheesy. You may have even heard it before from some fitness influencer on Instagram with 100 000 followers doing hip thrusts on the beach so you can buy her “booty bands”. Although it has been milked, everything starts with your mind, BUT the purpose of this article is not to just make you feel good for long enough to get in some exercise. It’s to list the first pillar of the Factory PT and what we are all about. The Mind. Not just in terms of positive mindset or motivation either because that is only half the equation. You must also understand your own mind and the way it works as well as learning enough real pieces of information that you can use to progress. When you are able to put all three pieces together (positive mindset, self awareness and correct information) you are set up for success.
Changing your mindset
It all starts with the right attitude. We all know this BUT it takes practice. A Lot of practice. Not days, not weeks, months maybe… but years. If you have been told for your whole life you have bad genetics or are not cut out for something, it’s going to take a while to instill that belief. Just like it takes years to be great at anything, It’s important to stay consistent. Start small. What words do you speak to yourself ? What do you believe you are capable of ? do you think “that’s too hard”, “I don’t have time”or do you say “I own this” “I’ll make it happen”. Then after you realise what you are saying internally, look at what is around you externally. What do you watch or listen to in your spare time? Just like you need to feed your body foods that will be beneficial to it, you need to feed your mind what is beneficial. 90% of what people take in has no benefit to them. TV, social media could be swapped with books, podcasts or even videos of things to put you in the right mindset. The people you speak to are also a massive influence on your mindset. What is your circle of influence like? “Show me your friends and i’ll show you your future”. If you want to be in shape talk to other people who are in shape. Watch what they do and copy what works. you might even be able to improve on it with yourself. When your mindset changes YOU change.
Understanding yourself
Now that we have got that out of the way. Let’s be honest. You are not perfect and you will never be. I am DEFINITELY not perfect. No matter how disciplined or tough you think you are, you will always slip up. It’s only a matter of time before you miss some training or miss some days tracking your food. You might even binge eat occasionally. Work could get in the way. You could feel depressed and not think as logically as you normally do. Causing you to do all of those things at once and now you’ve gone backwards from your goals. Sounds a bit sad? It’s sad if you don’t accept some things the way they are. But if you accept that some things wont change fast or ever change, you can plan around it. I know as a fact that if i go home after work i will fall asleep and miss my training. So what do i do ? I train right after or even better, ill train in the morning. I know that if i don’t plan and prepare what to eat I will eat whatever is available. So i prepare or order meals. If i’m eating out, I’ll look at the menu and make it fit my macros. I know if i’m too tired ill crave more food. So i go to sleep instead of watching another episode of that show on netflix. When you completely accept your Weaknesses you can work around them. “If you fail to plan, plan to fail”
Facts or Fiction
Now all you need for your mind is the right information. You need to be educated in any field you want to improve in. Thats why at The Factory PT we have the nutrition coaching, seminars and education videos. Information is powerful. It can change everything for better or worse depending if it is right or wrong. Learning about how your mindset can set you up, or how your meals and movement can affect your results and even how to perform movements properly to get the most out of it safely. Don’t just rely on your trainers though. Do some research. More than a google search. There are many reputable sources that know way more than me on specific topics. Empower yourself. Now also make sure you IMPLEMENT “knowing without doing is not knowing”
Thank you for reading,
Two words
Five letters
WE WON !