No matter how fit or healthy we may feel, we all have some influence on how we think and what our past experiences have done to us. I was not born a sports-mad kid. Actually, I was quite the opposite. At the age of 10, I was very overweight. I felt complete embarrassment. I felt immense shame. I felt like a defect.
My health and fitness didn’t really start to thrive until I started modeling my mindset after other truly healthy and fit individuals. This was something I discovered more deeply while completing my master’s in sports psychology. It also helped me to see the lives of my clients and colleagues change dramatically by changing their thoughts. Everything begins in the mind.
5 Mindsets of the Healthy –
Mindset #1: People who are healthy believe that they have complete control over their destiny, rather than being predetermined.
The healthy don’t ever allow physical limitations to stop them from achieving their divine destiny. Nick Vujicic was born without arms and legs. His life was not easy. He has overcome adversity and his life is now filled with joy and purpose. Nick, now 30, has a wife, and they travel the globe sharing inspiring messages of hope, accomplishment, and love. He understood that everyone needs love and hope, and that he was uniquely positioned to share it with others. He said, “Dream big, my friend, and don’t give up.” We all make mistakes, but none of us are mistakes.” How can the world elevate from your presence? You did indeed arrive for a divine purpose.
Mindset #2: The healthy get their metabolism to work for them instead of trading time for health.
A healthy metabolism investor is well-informed on nutrition and a workout program that works. They master the skill of consistency, and long term, their metabolism begins to pay back to them! Because their hormonal system & metabolism are running efficiently, they can be burning fat more efficiently during workouts and even at rest!
Mindset #3: Healthy people influence their friends and family members in positive, inspiring ways and bring them along for the journey.
One of my most inspiring clients, ‘Mark’, had spent years on a downhill addictive path of drugs and alcoholism, & jail time. He could have easily lost the rest of his life. He hired me and we began rebuilding his physique and life. Mark dedicated his whole life to good nutrition and better workouts. In addition to helping Mark get to a muscular and shredded 5% body fat, I also helped him accomplish one of his life goals of becoming a certified personal trainer! Mark is now sober, continues to support his family, friends and community through his fitness training, and has inspired many.
Mentality #4: People who are healthy focus on the opportunities and not the obstacles
To improve athletes’ performance, sports psychologists employ mental skills training. This training involves looking at the positive side of any situation. This is a form of positive psychology. According to Seligman, ‘seeing obstacles instead of opportunities doesn’t just affect behavior; it also reaches down to the cellular level and makes the immune system more passive. Healthy individuals are less likely to give up on their exercise routine when a challenge arises. Practicing a daily positive attitude is a source of inner strength and overall health.
Mindset #5 – Healthy people perceive fear differently and learn to overcome it.
Pema Chodron said, “If you never know the nature of fear, then you can never be fearless.” Healthy people recognize the presence of fear and trek forward regardless because they understand that fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth, or higher accomplishments.
Stefanie Basso
NSCA Certified Trainer, NCSF Sport Nutrition Specialist BA Exercise Science, MS Sport Psychology
Ph.D. Holistic Nutrition San Diego, CA 92122
Email: [email protected], www.steffitness.com
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