08/30/2022
đ„đ„đ„WARNINGâŠthis post may hit you in the feelersâŠif youâre guilty of excuses (and if you areâŠhey! Thatâs ok, that makes you human âșïž)đ„đ„đ„
Letâs talk excuses.
Do you know how powerful excuses are? Maybe you do, if youâve made a ton of them countless times in your life. We use excuses to justify missed workouts - because weâre too exhausted, we had a bad day, and tell ourselves, "thereâs still tomorrow."
Guess what? Excuses become your reality. These explanations, no matter how logical they are, get in the way of your fitness progress. The next thing you know, itâs the big day. You wouldnât want to tell yourself, âI wished I took more responsibility for my body. If I made fewer excuses, I would have been fitter, abler, and more confident.â
If only excuses burned calories, weâd be the sexiest. But they donât. They put you in a cycle of failure.
You Have a SuperpowerâŠ
I need you to realize something: You have a superpower in you. Do you know what that superpower is? Itâs your ABILITY to change the moment. Yes, I mean NOW. Whatever your circumstances are, you always have a choice.
No matter what choice youâre going to make, that choice will has transformative consequences - either you succeed or fail. Starting now, do what moves you in the direction of where you want to be. While you canât control outside events in your life, you can choose your actions.
Stop Using the Word âButâ
I want to go to the gym BUT I have a meeting to attend to. I want to prepare a weight-loss friendly meal BUT I donât have the time. I was supposed to jog BUT I woke up past 8 today.
Answer this honestly - how many times have you ended your personal statements with âbutâ? Countless times maybe. Most of us are BUT machines, and we feel itâs a nice word to defend something. It doesnât matter what comes after the word âbutâ because it cancels out all your goals.
From now on, replace âbutâ with âand.â Follow up your sentences with alternative solutions. I promise you, it creates a more positive response. âAndâ puts you in the driverâs seat.
Practice Positive Self-Talk
Self-talk, or âinternal dialogue,â when used the right way, can be an effective tool to remove drama in a situation. Think of self-talk as a set of instructions that you give your brain. Either you are telling yourself that you will succeed or sabotaging your opportunities. Remember that not all thoughts are true. Sometimes or most of the time, irrational thoughts can be the product of our emotions.
To get rid of negative thoughts, itâs important to be aware of them first. Make sure that you challenge these thoughts. Look for evidence to prove that they arenât true. Last year, I wrote a blog post where I said that you can acknowledge the presence of negative self-talk but you donât need to act on it.
Focus on What You Are Able and Willing to Do
Most of us think that achieving a higher fitness level is impossible because thereâs a ton of things that need to be done. This is a poor mentality and it has to stop. Whoever told you that you need to worry about a monthâs or yearâs worth of hard work?
You only need to focus on the moment. Donât allow worries of the future to dictate your present. Ask yourself, âWhat am I able and willing to do right at this very moment?â Your answer today may differ from tomorrowâs answer. In each moment, you have capabilities that are ready to be unleashed. Take advantage of them.
