Fitness Mindset

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A Fitness Mindset is your collection of thoughts and beliefs that shape your fitness habits. These would be influenced by your formative years, your family and your lifestyle. This is the mindset which will carry you through the tough years - What do you do when you fall sick? What do you do if you are diagnosed with something serious? Are you willing to give up certain bad habits? Do you believe in going to the doctor for every simple thing or do you believe that good health means taking charge of it yourselves? 

I believe this is one of the core values in our life and we need to be aware of it.

Calories vs Nutrition

Approach food with a mindset of what is the nutritional content rather than simple calories. A low fat muffin would have lesser calories than a whole wheat paratha, but is it nutritious? Stop counting calories and start eating right. If you eat the right foods, half your battle is done. Proteins, carbs and fats are macronutrients that provide the energy for our body, while vitamins and minerals are nutrients required for growth, metabolism and other body functions. Both are equally important every single day.

No fad diets

Fitness is a lifelong goal. Don't think about denying yourself for just 2 weeks to get into a smaller size for a wedding - what about post 2 weeks? Embrace the right habits which you can continue lifelong. We can indulge ourselves mindfully if we follow the rules the rest of the time. Fad diets like restricting yourself on only water, vegetables etc are pretty difficult to follow. In the long run, you will come out of it feeling and looking worse than before.

Willing to restart again

Fitness should never be an all or nothing game. Lets say you have decided to eat right and you slipped. This should not be an excuse to give up and go on a binge for the rest of the day or the week. It is very easy to get disheartened when you fix a weight goal in kgs. Choose instead to go for the other factors which will motivate you - are you feeling energetic? Are you feeling proud of yourself for sticking to your promise? Small changes leading to small victories will motivate you to stay true to your fitness goals.

What is your ground zero?

When it comes to fitness, where do you currently stand? Getting up at 5am and going for a jog might not work out for you if you are currently getting up at 8 and rushing to office work. Check what is feasible for you and which you will be able to maintain. If you are pretty new to fitness, I would advise you to keep a log - record your wake up time, food diary, your energy levels throughout the day, sleep quality, when do you reach out for snacks? This data will help you become aware of where exactly you need help.

What is your fitness goal? 

The "why" is always more important than the "how" and it applies here also. Why do you want to get fit? Are you aspiring to run a marathon? Are you looking towards preventing lifestyle diseases? Do you want to be able to go playing with your grand kids? 
The lifestyle you need to follow and the changes you need to do will be very different for each of the above goals!!!
  

Next steps

  • Understand fitness is a lifestyle to be followed not a goal to be accomplished and then forgotten.
  • Make small differences in daily eating habits. Examples could include choosing to eat salads first in a buffet, taking the time to eat a meal instead of gulping down food, stick to one desert you really like in a buffet instead of trying everything.
  • Choose to be more active everyday. Can you walk for half an hour today? Can you stretch a bit? The pains you get initially should not deter you from continuing - its natural to feel uncomfortable in the beginning.
  • Adapt a positive attitude towards life. This alone can be a huge game changer in your life. Choose to reflect on the factors that are in your control.
  • Age is not an excuse to stop being fit. Rather, if you feel you are already old, it is better to start now than tomorrow. You need to really take the fast track towards fitness. How do you want to enjoy your tomorrow - paint a visual picture and that will guide you to take the right step.
If this article made you think and make even a single right step towards your health, my mission is accomplished. Lets be healthy from the inside out.

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