Mindset Resets

When you think of the biggest obstacle standing between you and a consistent habit, such as an exercise routine, do you picture it being… your own brain? 

That’s right: the brain inside your very head can actually be a lot of people’s most tricky hurdle to overcome when it comes to starting - and sticking to - an exercise habit (or any habit really!) Let me give you an example: 

Water bottle? Check

Favorite workout clothes? Check

Alarm set? Check 

Alright, ready to start? Eh, maybe next week. Or maybe next month. Or maybe when the new year rolls around, then i’ll be ready to start. Yeah, I’ll be ready by then. 

Can you relate? Whether it’s a new fitness routine, workout regimen, or really any new habit that you’re wanting to implement, the thoughts you have can really make or break you. It’s great to boost your motivation with a new water bottle, but if you really want to ensure long-term success this time around, you’re going to need to edit a few mindsets to prepare your brain to be ready to start. 

Perfectionist mindsets can be the downfall for so many of us with well-intentioned goals. Now, even if you don’t consider yourself a perfectionist, I bet that these thoughts will still sound familiar to you, as they do for most of us! So let’s explore some examples of a perfectionist mindset, and helpful mindset swaps that will help you to break free from them. These mindsets are applicable to a wide range of goals and habits, but for the sake of balance, I’ll keep my examples related to a new workout routine or exercise regimen. 

A common example of a perfectionist mindset is the thoughts that tell you “let’s start this new habit on Monday, or on the 1st of the month, or on the 1st of the new year.” The fact is, your brain will continue to push your start date later, for one reason or another. Or, maybe you are able to start that first day, and even get through a week or two- hooray! …but then the minute you miss a day, your brain goes right back to it and tells you “ok let’s try again next month.” Life is unpredictable, and chances are you will miss a day, or even a whole week, or more. You get sick, or busy, or things come up. It’s going to happen! But by jumping back into the habit right away, instead of waiting for next week or next month, you will not only see changes more quickly, but that habit will more easily become part of your routine. The more habitual it can become, the more difficult it will be to “forget” to do it, or even choose to skip it. Another way of looking at the detrimental effects of this perfectionist mindset is that the more time that passes, the weaker your muscles may get if you aren’t doing specific, targeted, strength-training exercises. So if you continually push off the start date of your exercise or fitness routine, you are inadvertently setting yourself back further as you potentially get weaker, the longer you wait. Have I convinced you that you need a reframe for this one yet? Alright, try one of these: 

“There is no perfect time to start, but the best time to start is now.”

“I can do things today that will make me stronger tomorrow.” 

Another limiting mindset is the thought that if you can’t fit in a “full” workout, that you shouldn’t do any part of the workout at all. This could pertain to a 30 minute time goal you set for yourself, or getting through all 5 of the exercises you had planned out for today. This perfectionist mindset, again, gets in the way of your goals, because it quickly limits which days you actually do the workout, which makes it more difficult for you to become habitual about it. Again, life will get in the way! You underestimated how much time you would have between appointments, or the neighbor needed help with something, and now your 30 minute time slot that was set to be allocated to exercise- POOF- has dissolved into a mere 5 minutes. The perfectionist thought would tell you “5 minutes? That’s barely anything, not worth starting an exercise.” But you know that thought doesn’t serve you and certainly doesn’t serve your goals, so you reframe it into: 

“Even doing just one exercise will make a difference, and I can do small things each day to maintain and build this habit.” 

Last, your brain is wired to focus on the negatives, so it will tend to zero in on what you didn’t get done last week, or the ways in which you’re not meeting the goal that you set originally. Maybe this means that you wanted to work on your balance at least 4 days each week, but you’ve only been doing 2 days a week. Maybe you missed an entire week. Your brain loves to remind you of these things, but guess what that does for you? Nada! That’s not helpful in the least! You’re no closer to hitting your goal, but you are probably feeling more shameful or guilty as you ruminate on ways you missed the mark. So instead, you teach your mind to think: 

“Progress over perfection”

“I can’t change what happened yesterday, but I can focus on what I can do today.” 

Here’s a summary list of mindsets that are built to serve you and help you move forward as you work to build new exercise habits (or any new habits!) into your life: 

1. There is no perfect time to start, but the best time to start is now.

2. I can do things today that will make me stronger tomorrow.

3. Even doing just one exercise will make a difference, and I can do small things each day to maintain and build the habit.

4. Progress over perfection

5. I can’t change what happened yesterday, but I can focus on what I can do today.

Write down a couple that speak to you, or that seem like they would really help you. Place it somewhere you’ll see it often. Not sure what exercises to even start with? Try my 6 Weeks to Steady Challenge - I’ve included 4 of the most effective exercises for building strength and balance so you can feel stronger and more confident. You can join the challenge by clicking here to download your FREE tracker, and if you need more details about the challenge or the specific exercises, you can find those at the bottom of this blog post.