3 Tricks that Turn Your 40-year old Brain Into a Fitness Tracker
Goal setting, just like goal posts, might be worth moving to help get you to where you want to be. At 40+ we are programmed to weigh up more, risk less, and talk ourselves out of some positive decision-making moves. Here’s how to keep your mind thinking positivly, not possibly.
A positive mindset can dramatically improve productivity.
THE BRIEF
Time to read: 3 minutes
Time to action: 5 minutes
Mantra: Compete, yes – but only with yourself
Main message: Think only positive things about yourself for 300 seconds. Time it – if you wander into the mundane, go again. It’s harder than you realise to think hard, positively.
Stat: 77% of people found accountability to be key in hitting their target
Never have any doubt that your mind is a beautiful place to be. So here’s the big question: why does this gorgeous form turn ugly when it comes to sticking to your health goals? Why do you convince yourself you haven’t got the energy for change and self-advancement?
Here, three leading psychologists offer us a simple trick for turning your brain from a personal trickster to a fitness tracker.
Set a self-perpetuating cycle of desire
The primary reason fitness goals fail is the “...and then” mindset we allow ourselves to fall into. You know the one: “I’ll get fit… and then I’ll drink less… and then I’ll perform better at work… and then I’ll get promoted… and then I’ll be able to…”
It's exhausting just typing it, let alone doing it. So, be mindful of setting a self-perpetuating cycle of desire. Ask yourself the key question: what is the ultimate aim? It’s not always wrong to “...and then”, so long as the chain doesn’t contain too many links. If it does, well, you know what they say about the strength of a chain…
YOU MUST CREATE: A State of Single Desire (SSD). Work out the actual desire, then try to minimise the number of steps you need to get there. You’ll be surprised at how much closer it is than your brain allows you to see.
Compete with only yourself
Do you talk to yourself? We know it’s the only way you’re guaranteed intelligent conversation!
But it is also a sign of self-awareness that can significantly affect your self-esteem, for good or bad. So here's the trick: for a positive outcome, compete only with yourself. When you talk to yourself out loud, try and vocalise only positivity about your sense of self. You might feel foolish, but honestly, no one is listening.
Practice making the verbalisation and the realisation all about the celebration of you. When coupling it with health and fitness, work towards making the experience about using your senses to promote self-positivity.
This means buying the kit you feel good in. Listen to the music that makes you happy. Keeping your eyes only on the prize: you. It pushes you into positivity that drives goals and energy to get there. If looking at others helps you keep your form or motivates you, then all good. But the split second that drive switches to anxiety - shut the fucker down.
Your goals are singular: you. It takes time, but teaching yourself to use your voice to push personal positivity is like activating a cheerleader. It’s an outer you to promote the inner you. Removing the negativity doesn’t happen overnight, but it will happen over time, and you’ll be amazed how much closer you can get to where you want to be just by reminding yourself of what you're doing right.
YOU MUST NEGATE: The Comparison Paradox. Keeping yourself on track means looking at you and talking about your improvements; the wider world need not apply.
Use the power of positive association
Within all of us is what’s called your “deep sense”. The inner wisdom guides you so you understand what makes you happy.
Deep sense includes the ideas that come to you and take root in your mind. They energise your thought process, which is crucial to energising your body. Deep sense has your feelings of fulfilment at its core.
When your mind wanders to a good place – whether it’s enhanced by the music you listen to or thinking about how you’d spend the lottery millions as you run on the treadmill – allow your mind to be there (and stay there) when you’re setting out to achieve your health and fitness goals.
This positive association is often the missing link to get from where you are to where you want to be – and of course actually enjoying the process.
YOU MUST EMBRACE THE INNATE: There is a feeling that makes you “do”, not just say. Allow your mind to wander when it’s in a happy place and it will push you past meh and into yeah.
ENERGY RABBIT
Not simply a life coach, but an award-winner in the wellness sector with over a decade of experience. Rabbit specialises in the accessibility of information – if there is a theory worth exploring, Rabbit will work out how easily it can be integrated into your everyday life.
