Headstrong Health: The Psychology of Getting Fit

Recently, I officially bought my package to study and take the Personal Trainer Certification Exam.. I have 180 days to complete the exam.
I’m pumped! I chose NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine)- I read it is widely accepted, pays well in most gyms, and has strong ties to science.

With that said, today’s advice is, when you are trying to achieve something:

Make it part of your Identity

You undoubtedly associate yourself with variety of things. Especially in our teenage years, we struggle to find out what type of people we are. We use our surroundings- friends, family, what we do, how we act, what people think of us- to try and come up with a conclusive self. In adulthood, we learn to look within, but sometimes we do not shed the beliefs that we snagged up along the way. They may have served their purpose and are now old news to our wiser selves. We have quite literally outgrown our younger beliefs and need to reexamine them in order to grow further.

At the very peak, you can associate with your body and say “I am a fat person” or “I am a skinny person.” Then you can associate with your wants/desires: we have “I am a chocolate lover,” “I am addicted to ___,” “I love fast food.” Then, as teens do, you can view your actions and identify with them: “I always eat dessert after dinner,” “I eat in my car.”  It definitely helps to explore these beliefs and become aware of our pitfalls. However- there is a better way. Fortunately, we can fast track our success and counter our negative beliefs by a simpler route.

Pick New Beliefs: 

Act first, and the true belief will come.

A lot of traditional couch therapy focuses on delving into old beliefs in order to shed them. However, if you have nothing to replace them with- you are left with awareness but no way to apply it. Instead, what if we deliberately begin to add in new beliefs about ourselves to our current belief systems?

1. Stop focusing on what you think you can’t change

2. Choose what you WANT to believe about yourself.

3. Act accordingly.

If you decide you want to be a healthy eater, you have to believe that about yourself. You have to retrain your consciousness to believe health is part of your identity.

You can use the following statements to reinvent yourself:

“I am,” I love,” “I like,” and “I act”

“I am a healthy eater, I like choosing healthy foods, I love the feeling of eating clean, and I choose these foods every day.”

The choice to add self-serving beliefs into your routine will force out beliefs that need to be shed. Choose wisely and consciously.

Supplemental Information and Reading:

http://www.nasm.org (National Academy of Sports Medicine)

Mindset – C. Dweck

Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul – Deepak Chopra

The Body Fat Solution – Tom Venuto