How do I create a Fitness State of Mind

By dougnau on Oct 25, 2008 in Tools, Lifestyle Change, Wellness Coaching

A client of mine recently read an article about the lifestyle of ‘fit’ individuals and in doing so, she provided me with a great coaching moment as it introduced me to a state of mind that was so different than my own. As she read the article, she mentioned that she really had no idea how much ‘fit’ (as opposed to healthy by medical terms) people actually worked out, how hard they worked out, and how engrained good nutrition was into their lifestyle. The article discussed specific workout regimes that a group of ‘normal’ people (ie: these were not professional athletes) had who kept themselves in good shape. It also listed the diet they typically stuck to. It was almost as if my client were telling me ‘wow, how can someone live this way?’

Personally, as someone that has lived that way for all but about 2 years of my life (the exception being at the time I was working full time and going through an evening MBA, and possibly when I was a toddler), my paradigm is the absolute opposite. How could someone not take care of their body with exercise and by eating nutritious foods? Don’t they feel terrible when they don’t work out for a week? Well, I suspect my paradigm is probably less common then hers.

How come its difficult to have a Fitness State of Mind

Here’s the dilemma. On one side of the spectrum, we’ve got the uber-athlete nutrition fanatics (which taken to the extreme may not actually be healthy either). On the other end, we’ve got the nonchalant group of people that eat whatever and however much they want with absolutely no consciousness or discretion and have no motivation whatsoever to exercise. Most people lie in the middle between these two spectrums – imagine your typical statistical bell curve. The problem is that optimal health is not found in the middle of this spectrum. To really be healthy in today’s world you’ve got to be better (and much better at that) than average. The average diet and average workout routine is insufficient. That’s why 2/3 of Americans are either overweight or obese.

As creatures of convenience and habit, we have an enormous tendency to compare ourselves with everyone else, but in doing so we’re comparing ourselves with an overall unhealthy society. Is this where our aspirations lie? We’ve become so used to seeing lack of physical health in society today that my client – who was technically obese – didn’t really feel that weight was something to be concerned about. In fact, she wasn’t really that much heavier than most people around! Why would she want to change?

How do you shift to create a ‘Fitness State of Mind’

A fitness state of mind is one in which a person has a conscious and compelling focus on their physical health and well being. Its more than just a state of mind, however, its a mindset which compels one to action. Furthermore, a true fitness state of mind has been engrained for so long, its second nature. Its easy. Isn’t that what we all want?

As a wellness coach and consultant, when I coach my clients, the first thing we look at his how to create a fitness state of mind. Here’s the process I work through with them, and I encourage you to look at these questions for yourself if you are wondering how to make the lifestyle changes that will support you in doing the same. As you’ll see below, these have nothing to do with the question ‘how do I become fit’ – any personal trainer or even a good friend can give you tips and suggestions. Rather this looks at how do you get into a mindset such that you want to become fit. That’s the real question, and the answer is the one that will see you to sustaining long term fitness. Please note, the words I will use in an actual conversation with a client may be different, but the message is the same. These are worded in a way for you to do this exercise on your own:

What do you want to accomplish? - and whatever you do, don’t sugar coat this response. ie: Telling me you want to exercise more and eat better may be the right answer, but that’s surface level b.s. What do you really want? Dig deep.
Why do you want what you just told me you want? Again, get real. Has that reason compelled you to action before? What does this tell you? Dig deeper.
How important is it to you (by the way, very important doesn’t cut it for a response")? Where does this stand in relation to all of the other priorities that life requires? Write down the most important things for you in life – rate in order of importance and tell me again, how important is it to you?
When do you see yourself making changes? If its right now – what makes now different than last week, last month, last year? If its in one month, what makes that different than today?
What would you be willing to do to get you closer to that which you wish to accomplish? Is that enough? Are you being realistic that what you anticipate doing will garner the results you desire? Are you being overly ambitious with what you can actually do?
Recap all the questions of self inquiry that you’ve gone through here. What are you seeing now as you have begun to craft a plan? Are you excited, are you feeling overwhelmed? Notice and sit with your emotional state right now as that will be a good indication of whether or not you are getting into a ‘Fitness State of Mind’. You’re probably thinking, yes I can do this, or man this is going to be tough. The later will mean you’ll need to re-examine this whole series of questions.

Someone in a fitness state of mind, is 100% confident of their plan and routine. They have no doubt that they will continue because its engrained into their lifestyle. Furthermore, if they slip one day, this has no effect on their confidence to continue because they don’t care if they slip because they KNOW it is not their norm. That’s the fitness state of mind.

I am comfortable having gone through the questions – what now?

So you’ve got yourself in the right state of mind to start. How do you keep it up for the long term? With my clients, I’ve had the opportunity to observe lifestyles spanning the whole spectrum of fitness. Many of the people engrained in a fit lifestyle have been that way their whole lives. They have an advantage because this norm is built into their DNA at this point (figuratively speaking). In addition, many of my clients have developed this lifestyle in their adult years and here’s what I’ve noticed.

Creating the lifestyle for the long term takes time. Never mind the stories you hear about taking 4 weeks to create a habit. Try 2 years. This is not a scientific study that I am referencing, but rather something I am inferring from discussions with hundreds of clients that have designed and maintained a long term healthy approach to nutrition and exercise. It seems that after about 2 years of ‘working’ at the lifestyle, it becomes engrained. So ask yourself – what can I do such that I can be successful for 2 years? Your answer will be unique to you.

Joining teams, having accountability, hiring a trainer, buying a treadmill for home, these can all be actions that will support you in creating a lifestyle for the long term. If you are becoming squeamish about the duration I’ve thrown out there, notice your thoughts and re-ask yourself ‘how important is this to me’? Perhaps what you’ve told yourself you want to accomplish is not really true or not a strong enough motivator to pull you through the more difficult times. Perhaps you are still working with yourself on the surface level.

I am not saying that there is a right or wrong lifestyle, if you want to be living what society would deem a ‘less healthy’ lifestyle, its your choice. If you feel your combination of genetics and luck is good enough to see you to a happy and healthy age, then great – more power to you. But if you’d like to hedge your bets and you are considering making some changes, then get real with yourself by answering and examining the questions above before setting silly goals that are too easily broken. If you are lying to yourself now by setting unrealistic expectations, you’re just creating frustration, you’ll be causing internal contradiction, and you are setting yourself up for poor self esteem. With today’s studies in stress management, happiness and longevity, you’ll probably experience worse health in the long term if you create these internal struggles. So get real and decide what you truly want as you create the personal fitness state of mind which is empowering and meaningful for you.

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