Creating a fitter and healthier you in 2025 - Your thinking influences you more than you realise

To make sustainable change we need to address our thinking and our behaviours to create sustainable, authentic goals in 2023

How are you doing with your January resolutions? Have you found your good intentions waning? To make sustainable change we need to address our thinking and our behaviours to create sustainable, authentic goals in 2023. If you'd like some mindset hacks that might get you back on track, read on!

Did you know that we can have up to 70,000 thoughts a day?

Its a bit of an arbitrary number but you get the point. We are thinking all the time and SO much more than we are exercising so it makes sense that, in terms of fitness and wellbeing, that we look at what we are thinking about - about ourselves, our body, and what we want for ourselves.

Our thinking carries all sorts of beliefs about ourselves and the world. It tells us whether we can or cant achieve something and thus can be very flawed. Habits, based on thoughts and previous behaviours influence what we think and believe about ourselves and what is possible for us in the future.

So key to being fitter and healthier, or achieving a particular fitness goal you might have - is understanding the habits your mind has got into, reframing some of the thoughts and mindsets that are not serving us and building new habits and beliefs - In short 'becoming' fit requires 'thinking' fit.

This is why I set up Think Fit Be Fit as i recognise just how much our mindset influences what we think is possible, or not, for us. Crucially, that mindset has been strongly influenced by what society and the media thinks we should look like.

I help people to find their own belief in their fitness journey and to create a plan that works for them.

I believe that when you truly set goals that are real for you (not some other persons or societies idea), then this is where you can create sustainable habits and change. This is when we start, in our own small way, to change the conversation about health and fitness.

So you might be either full of great new year intentions you set, or just beginning to feel disillusioned - your great New Year Plans may be feeling more difficult that you thought.

Here are some tips and mindset hacks to get you started in 2023 and help you on your way to start creating some new habits.

Even just become aware of some of these mindset issues can set you straight.

There are some practical tips also, to get you in the mindset of actually being the person who is fitter and healthier over the long term.

Let's start by Thinking Fit

Look at your thought patterns - What thoughts do you get stuck in? reassess why you want to lose weight and get fit. Are these old patterns that no longer serve you? Are you still carrying around an old idea of confirming to some un achievable image of skinnyness. Think, what do you want now. Put aside what other people think and consider what you want for YOU. You are more likely to create sustainable change when its something that you really believe in. Alot of us are carrying around alot of body shame and this gets in the way of what we think is possible for us.
All or nothing thinking - Is this a thought habit for you? Set backs are a normal part of life but when they happen we can often lurch into giving up and throwing the baby out of the bath water. A set back is that, it means nothing more than that. When we realise that we can get back on track, more easily. I find 80/20 rule useful here. What we are doing 80% of the time matters more that than the other 20%. There's room in that equation to have, in moderation, whatever it is you fancy having. We then start to get beyond the habit of denial and restriction.
Unrealistic or unachievable goals. Davina looks incredible at her age but social media neglects to tell us that to obtain that kind of physique and reduce fat for a visible six pack comes with enormous sacrifices of diet and exercise all the time. If we don't understand the full picture we can develop unrealistic and distorted expectations about what is possible and then a feeling of failure we fail to achieve the image we have been promised.
Think long term - Move beyond the quick fix (diet or exercise). This is playing into the mindset of instant gratification which is present in culture, shopping, social media. We want everything now. However this type of thinking more often leads to a feeling of failure and yo yo diet/exercise cycles.
Look at how far you've come. Often we fail to look our our achievements and focus on 'failure' or what we haven't accomplished.You may not have achieved everything you wanted in 2022. But there are many things you will have achieved. List what you have achieved, despite set backs. You might be amazed at what you made happen.
Reframe your identity Rather than holding onto the belief that you are not the person who does .... Tell your self that you are the person who ... Be the person you want to be. Take on the identity of the person you want to be. Do the things that person would do.

Lets BE the person who is fitter, stronger, healthier

Here are some ideas for simple things you can to to 'be' that person -

Move more. Increasing your activity throughout the day will ensure you are burning more calories. Bonus - if you happen to be carrying a little excess weight, you will burn even more calories.
Exercise - As well as burning calories exercise will help us to increase our mobility and flexibility and guard against injuries. Lubricating our joints and keeping mobile is crucial as we age or place more demands on our bodies. Joining a stretch class or pilates class will ensure that you are regularly keeping everything moving and whats more you'll be looking after your mental health by connecting with others, creating friends and feeling part of a community.
Go for a walk every day. Walking is underestimated. We don't have to be thrashing ourselves in the gym to get exercise. If you are starting out with exercise walking can become your go activity as it will raise your heart rate. Walking has mental health benefits, and can be a social activity. Walking is good for our joints and our posture. If you have joint aches and pains, going for a walk can reset everything. Just walking in nature whether on your own or with friends can have huge mental benefits for reducing stress. Join a walking group or just go by yourself and practice being mindful.
Start doing weight bearing exercise. As we get older we lose muscle. From our twenty's our muscle mass is in decline and this accelerates fast as we get into our forties onwards. Loss of muscle tone can really put a burden on our joints. Women as they approach mid life also have risks of osteoporosis. There are several options here - you can do body weight exercises at home, buy a few weights, fill up some water bottles. You could join a resistance class, join a gym or employ a personal trainer to develop a programme that is bespoke for you.
Get an exercise tracker so you can monitor your steps. I don't believe that we should let exercise trackers and watches take over our lives but they are a really good way of monitoring activity and heart rate. We may think we have done more when we actually have. Or we may surprise ourselves by what we have done. Either way you will be getting information about what you are actually doing and you can monitor your progress.
Monitor your heart rate Your heart rate will let you know how hard you are exercising and will ensure you are working at a safe level. A very simple guideline to be aware of - the maximum heart rate is 220 beats per minute minus your age. However, this is a maximum, high intensity and most people, especially if you are starting out, should be working at a lower intensity than this. Effective exercise will happen between 50-80% of your maximum heart rate. If you want to find your most efficient training zone for your age, level of fitness, or you have a medical condition, a personal trainer can show you the a safe and effective zone to be working in.

So that was six mindset and six practical tips to get you going.

I really hope that this is useful for you. I'd love to know what lands for you from what I've shared. Do write to me and let me know.

If there is any way I can support you to change your conversation about health and fitness, or help you to just get started do contact me here at sheila@thinkfitbefit.co.uk

Categories: : coaching, fitness, health, mindset, sheila