Why Mental Training Matters More Than Exercise and Diet
Why everyone gets it backwards when it comes to getting healthy
When it’s time to get healthy, everyone focuses on the big two:
(1) Exercise and (2) Diet
Here’s the cycle:
Get inspired
Pick and exercise or diet
Start strong for 2 weeks
Life gets busy- you skip a day
Lose momentum, start to feel discouraged
End up back where you started
Why can we never break this cycle?
Because the whole approach is backwards!
Everyone overlooks the mental training.
Before embarking on any exercise or diet program, the key is to develop your mental fitness.
So what is your Mental fitness and why does it matter?
It’s actually really easy to get healthy
Just make sure you have:
Lots of free time
And no work, no job, no responsibilities
That’s why some people actually IMPROVED their health during the Covid Lockdowns
They didn’t need to go to work. They just had to shelter in place. And so they used all that time (and resources) to fix their health.
Then things changed and life got busy again.
And their health went away too.
Why?
Because it’s easy to be healthy when life is easy. But what about the 99% of the time when things are busy- and when things don’t go your way?
How will you stay healthy then?
Enter: Mental Fitness
By training and focusing on your mental fitness, you prepare yourself to better manage these negative thoughts and emotions that come up all the time.
Because when we’re busy, there’s a voice in our health that starts saying:
“I can’t REALLY sustain health”
“I’m too undisciplined to stick to my routines”
“I’m doomed to an unhealthy life”
No No No! That’s the voice of our inner critic- our inner judge.
And if we’re really going to build health, we need to silence that inner voice using mental fitness.
This can make us more resilient and better equipped to handle stress and adversity, ultimately increasing our chances of successfully sustaining our health.
Start with mental fitness and health will follow
Identifying your mental traps
Tell me if this sounds familiar:
You start an exercise routine. And you stick to it for a couple of weeks. Then life starts to get busy, and you have to skip a few days. Then you have a thought:
“This isn’t the right time to work on my health. I’ll drop this now, and come back to it later”
Or worse
“I’m not cut out for this health stuff. I’ll never be able to figure it out.”
We ALL do this- no exceptions.
Even for me, despite being a health coach and an athlete for many years- I still find myself saying, “March is halfway done, I’ll just ease up for now and start again in April.” or “It’s already 3pm and I’m too tired to workout, I’ll just go tomorrow.”
It is crucial to be able to catch these thoughts, and recognize that they come from a place of judgment, fear, or perfectionism.
If you’re going to build your health, you want to build up your mental muscles to catch these thoughts and reframe them!
For example, instead of saying “March is a lost cause, and I’ll start in April,” I can practice thoughts like “There are still 15 days left in March, plenty of time to get some exercise in!”
It sounds cheesy, cliche, and kinda woo-woo-ey positive thinking.
But here’s the crazy thing- it works. It really does. Catching negative thoughts and reframing them positively has real benefits for your health.
The Magic Ratio for Thriving is 3:1
How often should you do this? Remember the ratio
3 Positive Interaction for 1 Negative
Many people believe that they can balance out one positive interaction with one negative interaction. However, research has shown that this is not the case. Something in our brains is wired to focus more on negative things, making it harder to balance them out with positive experiences.
This is why we need to be intentional about creating positive experiences and interactions in our lives.
The magic ratio of 3 to 1 can be applied in many areas of life, including personal relationships, work, and even in our own self-talk.
Key Techniques for Mental Fitness
As you aim for 3 positive interactions per 1 negative, here are four techniques you can use:
the Reframer, (2) the Opportunist, (3) the Creative, and (4) the Activator
The Reframer is a technique that involves looking at a challenging situation and asking, “Where is the good in this?” It’s all about shifting our focus away from the negative and looking for the good in a situation! Remember it needs to be 3 to 1.
The Opportunist technique involves asking, “Where is the gift in this?” This technique encourages us to look for the opportunities in difficult situations. Even in challenging circumstances, there are often opportunities for growth, learning, and development.
The Creative technique is about thinking outside the box and asking, “How can I come up with a crazy solution?” This technique encourages us to challenge our assumptions and explore new possibilities.
Finally, the Activator technique involves asking, “How can I stick to the plan?” This technique is about committing to a plan of action and taking steps to follow through. By making a plan and sticking to it, we can build momentum and make progress towards our goals.
If you’re starting a new health and fitness program, it can be tempting to focus on the practical details: what exercise to do, what diet to follow, and so on.
But this time, prioritize your mental fitness.
Building a strong foundation of mental fitness can help you navigate the inevitable challenges and setbacks that come with any new program, and set you up for success in the long run.
By taking the time to work on your mental fitness before starting your program, you’ll be better equipped to handle stress, overcome obstacles, and stay motivated throughout your journey to better health.