This ONE Thing is Killing Your Progress

What is a healthy mindset and what does it matter to your health and fitness goals? Can you even change it? Learn about the mindset shift that will change your perspective and get you great results!

“That’s just how I am”, I huffed as I marched away from my afternoon workout session. My workout was terrible, a waste of time, in fact, and I knew why.

Have you ever said something like this:

“I hate to cook.”
“I can’t workout at home.”
“I’ll never be someone who prefers healthy food.”
“I have always been a worrier and always will be.”
“I have to eat something sweet after every meal.”

We’re pretty opinionated about ourselves, aren’t we? We think and so we are, and our experience validates our assessments. If that’s the case, why would you question them?

What Do You Believe?

The opinions that you voice about yourself, the statements that you identify with– they are only true because you believe them.

These concrete beliefs are examples of a “fixed mindset”. A fixed mindset means that we see our habits and behaviors as immovable and unchanging. We’ll often say things like “I was born this way” or “This is just how I am wired”.

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We don’t question their truth because they feel immovable. It’s actually quite deflating. Why try to change if we can’t?

But, the Bible tells a different story:

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

God created us to be anything but stuck.

Change Much?

But, we are NOT fixed… we are changing every. single. day.

In fact, it is estimated that our body turns over 50-70 billion cells per day and recent discoveries in neuroplasticity reveal that our brain is capable of continually rewiring itself.  No part of us is static (if we don’t want it to be).

With each decision we make each day, we are molding our tomorrow selves. We are creating the habits, the behaviors, and the mindset that makes us who we are.

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Based on these facts, you have two options– you can choose to believe that you can change or that you can’t. Of course, there is evidence all around us that argues for both cases. In our lives and in the lives of others.

The perfect example can be found at your high school reunion.

While some of those rebellious teens continued to stay stuck in lives of chaos, others cleaned up their act and went on to become driven and successful. Some wallflowers were still painfully shy while others blossomed into their confidence. Similar situation, different outcomes.

We can find evidence for both sides of the coin; we decide what we believe is possible.

Try On A Healthy Mindset

If we choose to embrace the growth mindset, we will be more open to trying new things. This healthy mindset embraces our plasticity as human beings and celebrates the fact that we CAN change. It’s quite exciting!

This change is something that I have experienced in my life–

I’ve always labeled myself as a worrier but after a season of postpartum depression and anxiety and the ensuing counseling, I’ve been able to move past anxiety and become a more peaceful person.

On a smaller scale, I’ve also pushed past my distaste for working out at home. After a month of disciplined practice, my new preferences emerged! I discovered that I love the convenience and precious minutes of travel time I save each day.

Same for eating leftovers… I used to hate leftovers. While this seems negligible, it prevented me from preparing my food ahead of time and created a lot of unnecessary work. After one week of preparing my week’s lunch ahead– and I was “cured”.

I would have never known my potential for change if I had not pushed past my personal labels.

God is ready to do something new in our lives if we will let Him.

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Isaiah 43:19 (NLT)

Your New Healthy Mindset

You ARE capable of change. In fact, you ARE remolding yourself every single day.

If you have a fixed mindset, you may be molding yourself the same day after day, fulfilling your assumptions. But, you can start to shake stagnancy loose by experimenting with your ability to change.

Nothing stays the same, you included. A fixed mindset may feel like part of who you are but it’s just a way of thinking.

The first step is to look for the possibility of change.

Pay attention to your self-talk and see if you can spot any fixed assumptions you make about yourself.

What are you saying?
Is there any chance that this belief may not be 100% true? 
Is this something you’d like to change but feel incapable of doing so?

To derail fixed thoughts, begin to look for little loopholes for change. Can you try a new habit, just once, and see what happens?

• Try a new vegetable today.
• Exercise in the morning.
• Move your workout time on Saturday.
• Set negative self-talk for an hour.
• Brainstorm a healthy breakfast.

You may find you like or don’t like these things. That some work and some don’t’. And that’s ok–the value is in the trying. There truly is nothing to lose!

Each time you trade your fixed mindset for a healthy mindset, you are opening the door to possibilities!

That day walking out of the gym, I let my preconceived ideas about when I could workout ruin my session. I was there putting in the time but my mind was sidelining any hopes I had of success. While I am still not a fan of afternoon exercise, I now realize that my mindset can make or break me.

Now, I choose a healthy mindset and make the most of each moment. And, you can too with this simple shift!