There are no secrets or magic fixes when it comes to fitness. There is a wealth of information online that can help anyone who is willing to put in the work. But none of what you learn can help you until you change one thing, and that one thing is your mindset.
This post takes a deep dive into mindset. We will shed some light on why some people can become, and stay, fit while others tend to struggle a little more. We are also going to leave you with a very powerful exercise that you can do to really help your mindset, not only in fitness, but in all areas of life.
Nature Versus Nurture
Let us begin by seeing your way of thinking about fitness as falling into one of two categories. The two categories that we’re going to start with are “nature” and “nurture”. This is one of the oldest arguments in the history of psychology. Let’s define these two in a simple way to easily understand what each of them means.
Believing in the “nature” mindset aligns you with the belief that a person’s development is predisposed to his/her DNA. Adopting the “nurture” mindset aligns you with the belief that a person’s development is influenced by life experiences and by his/her environment. Even though you could be somewhere in the middle between these two mindsets, usually people tend to lean more toward one of these two ways of thinking.
Focus On Health and Fitness
This post is not geared toward facilitating a philosophical debate. We just want to figure out which mindset is best for losing weight and body fat. Which one is going to help you and which one is going to hurt you.
What are things that spring to mind regarding “nature?” Genetics, right? Genes are more in control than you are. On the “nurture” side of things, it is believed that genes will influence certain traits, but your environment plays a much larger role.
When a person’s view of the world is aligned with one of these perspectives their thoughts and actions are highly influenced, especially in the area of fitness.
People that really believe that everything is up to “nature” will express statements like:
- I’m not athletic.
- I have no coordination or balance.
- Obesity runs in my family.
- Both my parents had high blood pressure so that’s why I have it.
Are You in Control?
As you can see, “nature” takes a lot of control over your body and your health out of your hands. You don’t exert control, natural forces control you. With “nature”, you believe that certain people won the genetic lottery while others did not. And if you feel like you are one of the people that did not win, by leaning heavily toward the “nature” mindset, you’re going to also feel like there isn’t much that you can do about it.
When a person’s view of the world is aligned with “nurture” they will often express statements like:
- I’m not very athletic now, but if I put in the work I can become athletic.
- I can develop my coordination and balance by putting myself into environments that make balance and coordination more difficult.
- My family has a strong history of obesity, but I don’t have to be obese because I can join a gym and eat right.
- High blood pressure runs in my family, but I can take steps to reduce and eliminate my risk.
Control is there for the Taking
Having the “nurture” mindset clearly puts a lot of control back in your hands, regardless of the cards that nature has dealt you.
Even if genes do influence your weight, how is it going to help you lose weight by holding in your mind that you are genetically predisposed to obesity? It’s not. By holding on to such beliefs you take the power out of your hands. You weaken your ability to drive change. If you truly believe that you are destined to be obese because of poor genes, how will you possibly give 100% of your effort to working out and dieting?
A Limiting Mindset
When believing fully in the “nature” perspective you already believe that things are the way they are and there is not much you can do about it. You start the diet or exercise program and already believe it’s not going to work for you, so you don’t put in the level of effort necessary to actually make a change.
This limiting belief is not true. Each individual has their own unique circumstances, but we all have the inherent ability to create positive change and improve those circumstances. You can make create a better and healthier you by continuously putting yourself into a mindset that pushes you in the direction that you want to grow.
Building a “nurture” mindset is a lot more helpful in the area of weight loss and health. It also has applications beyond the realm of fitness.
Exercise: Building a Limitless Mindset
Here is an exercise that will help you break some of these limiting beliefs that are holding you back. Take out a sheet of paper and make a list of your beliefs that take power and control out of your own hands.
Here are some examples:
- I’m predisposed to obesity.
- I’m not athletic.
- I have a weak upper body.
Jot down whatever comes to mind. The next step is to write down all of the consequences that result from having such limiting beliefs. The final step is to replace each limiting belief with an objective and empowering truth.
An example of this would be to start with the belief that, “I have poor genetics and I will always be fat.” The consequences of accepting such a belief are the feeling of powerlessness and resignation to the idea that nothing can help and this could lead to acceptance and inaction. This results in no positive change.
The final step is to replace that limiting belief with an objective and empowering truth. In this case, that truth is, “Anyone can get into better shape. There are people way worse off than me that have transformed their bodies. There are really no excuses for me.”
A Final Word From DigEnet
You need to build up the right mindset to create positive and lasting change. YOU are in control of your own body. Body composition is influenced by what you consume and the activity you engage in. Identify your limiting beliefs, the consequences of those beliefs, and the objective truth that empowers you. It is our hope that you found value in this post and are able to strengthen your positive mindset.