Pre-Challenge Mindset-FGF

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FIT LV back with another #feelgoodfriday. No matter what your goals are I hope you had a great week and feel that much closer to achieving them. 

As we are just days away from beginning our first ever 8 week challenge, I want to discuss mindset and preparation heading into a challenge or any new fitness/nutrition plan.

Mindset Matters ✨

A new plan, program, or coach will often times bring up momentary bouts of overwhelm because, ummm hello IT'S ALL NEW! Many of you have a bit of perfectionism in you, leaving you feeling like you have to do ALL the things perfect from day one or else, FAILURE. 

It is also very common in the days leading into a new fitness plan or challenge, as the excitement and anticipation builds, to do one of two things: BINGE or taking that perfectionism and coming out TOO HOT. 

Both of these carry a certain mindset and may produce a certain outcome. Let's break em' down: 

THE BINGE: You might be feeling like doomsday is approaching and it's the last hoorah with ice cream, beer, restaurants, all the chips and cookies in the pantry. You eat them ALL. You lunch, you brunch, you consume as many calories in food and beverage in anticipation of being restricted for the next "X" weeks or months. 

Why we want to avoid this: While the intention might be good, "get it out of your system" so to speak, it isn't realistic or necessary to binge them all for a few days then AVOID like the plague. Our goal as your coaches is not to restrict you of some of your favorite foods, drinks, or treats. Our goal is to teach you moderation and how to live with these thing around.  Delicious, sweet, salty, alcoholic foods and beverages will always be around, tempting you, and potentially being a part of your life. 

What to do instead: Limit the amount that is easily accessible to you in your house but don't binge eat it to limit it! Pass the leftover candy, cookies, and snacks to the neighbors or your spouses break room ;). If you plan to cut back on drinking alcohol or eliminate it all together, pour it out and don't look back. I find it is easiest to remove binge worthy food and drinks from my house all together and need to go OUT to get said item if I want it. Know that a macro plan is meant to be flexible so you will be able to balance your meals with some "fun" items in them too. This isn't an extreme elimination diet with "no-no" food lists. Anything you eliminate will be by your choice. 

PERFECTIONISM (Coming out too hot): If you're already feeling anxiety about not being able to do ALL the things perfectly you may have a dose of perfectionism. I have worked with a handful of clients who ask 189379437327293 questions before day one and I can hear it in their voices that they are stressing on not having a full grasp on things going into the program.

Why we want to avoid this: Learning a new way of eating, tracking, and exercising can be a lot to grasp at first. Even for people who are experienced in fitness may struggle with the food logging piece at first. Feeling like you have to do things perfectly to see results will have you feeling like a failure more than not. We want to avoid the all or nothing mindset and instead roll with the all or something mindset.

What to do instead: Focus on layering your new habits using a habit stacking technique:

The habit stacking formula is:

After/Before [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].
For example:

After I pour my cup of coffee each morning, I will log my days meals in My Fitness Pal. 

After I take off my work shoes, I will immediately change into my workout clothes.

After I get into bed at night, I will read my 10 pages.

According to James Clear, the reason habit stacking works so well is that your current habits are already built into your brain. You have patterns and behaviors that have been strengthened over years. By linking your new habits to a cycle that is already built into your brain, you make it more likely that you'll stick to the new behavior.

By focusing on nailing down new habits stacked with things you already do, you will take them on individually and have a higher success rate than trying to rewrite an entire new routine. 

Now what tools do you need to succeed?

Alright, so we have chatted about the mindset going into your challenge or fitness program, let's take a look at the tangible tools that will help you along the way. 

The tools I use DAILY are the

-Food scale and meal prep containers

-Fitness apps

-Protein snacks and water bottle

Don't feel like you need to rush out and purchase everything all at once but adding these in along the way will make it easier to hit all of your goals. 

In next week's #FGF I am going to dive into household support or sabotage and how to communicate with those around you who may not necessarily be on board. 

As always, this is your daily reminder that you are stronger than you think, more disciplined than you know, and hold the key to unlocking the life of your dreams.

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