Simple tools to help you succeed By Missi Balison
Confidence is such a big part of the picture when it comes to sticking with, or even starting, your fitness and health journey. Without confidence, you may feel intimidated and insecure about the actions you are taking and give up. As you build confidence in your health and fitness, just like anything, you’ll want to do more of it! Your results will climb, and then your confidence will climb … and then results will climb again!
How do you gain confidence?
Mindset: Positivity is key! When you adopt a “failing forward” mindset, you won’t feel beat down if things don’t go as planned. Remember, in EVERY failure there is progress. Even if it means you simply learned what NOT to do, you are better equipped than you were before—and that’s a WIN.
Tools and knowledge: Arm yourself with knowledge about whatever it is that you are trying to accomplish. Think of a time when you were doing something new (going to a new place for vacation, starting a new job, cooking a recipe with an ingredient that is foreign to you). If you’ve looked it up or asked some questions of those in the know beforehand, you are much less intimidated by the situation, and things usually turn out MUCH better. Information is key to building confidence.
Become a detective: When you combine points one and two from above, you will gain momentum and take charge. I’d like to encourage you to think of the fitness and health journey as though you are a detective. Everybody is different, and what works for your friend may not be what YOUR body needs or responds to. Feel free to try your friend’s method. Give it about three or four weeks. Record the change or progress (Are you losing inches? Are you gaining muscle, stamina or strength? Is your blood sugar improving?).
If things are improving, and it fits with your life—keep it. Now you can add another new method.
If it is not working for you, that’s okay. Research, investigate, ask questions of those in the know, and try something new.
You will begin to feel more power and control over your health and fitness when you take charge and take notes of what is happening in your body rather than pushing through with something that is working for someone else.
Support: Now, it’s hard for most people to not feel like they are going to be judged (or judge themselves) when they try something new—before their confidence kicks in—but when you have the RIGHT people standing behind you, people you know who want what is the best for you, your confidence will soar and you will do more.
In a funny way, confidence builds confidence!
Missi Balison, owner of Missi Balison Fitness, is a personal trainer, exercise physiologist and Certified Precision Nutrition coach.