Mind Your Own Business
Creating a positive mindset is not an easy thing. Shit, if I had the ability to create a magic pill for positive mindset transformation I’d be writing this from my beachfront property in the Bahamas.
As human beings we are unfortunately very reactive and when it comes to our bodies we rarely think about preventative maintenance. Meaning, most of the time we don’t do something about it until there is a problem. Things like illness, joint pain, back pain, the doctor telling us we’re going to have a heart attack, or worse. We need to train ourselves to be more proactive and take better care of ourselves.
Growing up our parents tell us a lot of things. Most of it goes in one ear and out the other but every once in awhile something sticks. My father once told me,
“Son, if you take a car out that has been sitting in a garage for 20 years and drive it as fast as you can down the street what happens? Something breaks! Treat your body like your favorite car. Do the regular maintenance on it, do your oil changes, don’t ignore service calls, etc. and it’ll last you a lot longer.”
I didn’t really know what he meant at the time but now in my mid-forties it sure makes a lot of sense.
So, how do we go about switching to this “preventative maintenance” mindset. How do we start motivating ourselves to be healthier? Well, there is definitely no “easy” button.
There are so many variables and a fitness journey is a daily challenge. Whether you’re a seasoned gym-goer or a beginner, we all struggle with motivation, inspiration, nutritional choices, and more. To be successful you have to start with what’s between the ears. This is the key to the rest of it. Training your brain to be consistent is where you have to start. No excuses.
But what does that all mean? As mentioned, I don’t have a secret pill but what I can do is let you in on what has worked for me and a few tips on how some of these might work for you.
- As simple as it sounds, making adjustments in your day-to-day habits translates over to your habits when it comes to fitness and nutrition. An example I always use is making my bed. None of us want to get up and make our beds. It’s the last thing we want to do. Most of us want coffee! But I train myself every day to make sure my bed is made before I leave my room. This sort of thing helps me get into the mental state of. “Even if I don’t want to do it, shit still needs to get done!” No excuses, unless my wife is still sleeping.
- Quit telling yourself you don’t have energy. We all want to go home after a long day at work and just chill out or take a bath. That’s okay, but make yourself earn it! You have to make changes in your life to be able to fit workouts into it. If your schedule just doesn’t allow you to workout at a gym than research things that you can do at home. If you know you don’t have the energy after work, then make the adjustment to get it done early. Before you start your day. You can always find time and find workouts that fit your schedule.
- Stop looking at fitness as a recreation …Your life is not a game. Start looking at a workout as part of your day. It’s something that you do and it takes priority like the other important things in your life. Things like going to work, picking up the kids, and brushing your teeth. I take it to the point that I treat my workouts like meetings. I schedule them into my calendar as such. It’s a meeting with myself. Oh, and YES, brushing your teeth is important.
- Stop making excuses for eating like shit. Quit tricking yourself into thinking that you deserve that piece of cake because you worked out today. Yes, we all should be able to indulge every once in a while, but using that excuse every time someone shoves a piece of some unhealthy crap in front of your face is not okay.
- Quit telling yourself you’re too busy. We’re all busy but I guarantee that if Billy calls you for beers and wings you’re there in a heartbeat. Make it non-negotiable.
- Change the relationship you have with food. Don’t look at nutritious foods as punishment for something. You are not punishing yourself by eating a salad or a chicken breast. There are many amazing food recipes that are both delicious and good for you.
- Quit telling yourself you’re too old and there’s no fixing this mangled body. That’s a load of crap, too. This is the biggest excuse of them all and should be slapped right out of your mind. Age is definitely just a number and the second you start to realize that is the day you can start making those positive changes in your life.
These are a just a few things I’ve come to learn over the years and am proud to say I have trained myself to do.
As I close out, I leave you with this. I use being a parent as an example in a lot of situations, as we never seem to truly be ready to start a family. There is always an excuse. We need more money, the house isn’t big enough, my career isn’t where it should be. But when that kid comes we always make it work.
You need to start thinking about your health in the same way. You will never be 100% ready to start a fitness program or lead a healthier lifestyle. You will use every excuse in the book not to do it. But at the end of the day none of this matters if you’re dead. Sorry for being so morbid but sometimes we need a kick in the ass to get us off of ours. Money, life, careers, family, friends, fun, all of it means nothing if you can’t enjoy it due to illness or death. Your health should be at the forefront of all of it.
Remember there is no secret book to being the perfect parent just like there is no secret book to building the perfect mindset for healthy living. You just have to start changing the way you think and I guarantee things will get easier.
Now go and get yours!
Amazingly said Mike! It all boils down to how badly do you want it. I wish I could be a bigger influence on my loved ones to adopt this growth mind set. The only thing I feel I can do right now is be the example and hopefully they realize how much healthier they could be through my journey. I love what you are doing here Mike. I strongly feel information is so much more effective when it comes from a real down to earth people verses a big organization. Nicely done!
Thank you for your kind words Jenn. Keep doing what you’re doing. A lot of the times it’s the action that is inspiring even though you’re not directly communicating with an individual. You ladies keep putting that positive energy out there at the gym. It’s infectious. I love what you all do.