Social media has been one of the biggest influences for fitness today. With every click, post, and pop-up, image has been determined to be everything. We see images that exude a particular emotion, images of hard work, images of ignorance, images of pain, images of love, images of laughter, and the most desired of them all, body image. Many people find themselves pondering over questions like, How do I lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time? What diet would accomplish this goal? Should I have surgery? Which leads to more ideas and questions like, How long would it take for me to lose weight? How long would it take to gain muscle and lose fat? We have to remember there are no quick fixes to lasting results for success. Things that hold weight and value take time and effort and that includes the mind. Your thought processes should be nurtured and developed over time forming habits that later become embedded in everyday living.
Think about life without fitness. How do you carry yourself on a regular basis? What standards do you set for yourself at work, for your children, and those around you? Are you passive or determined in your daily life? Your answers could determine your overall psychological fitness capabilities. Many people try to separate themselves from themselves. What this means is people may be warriors in their career, but start making excuses when it comes to dealing with "self." When you read an inspirational quote or motivational message how long does it really affect your psychological thinking? People tend to forget or lose interest after three weeks. The mind has moved on in an attempt to seek another entry way to be motivated.
Through research, one thing I have found useful is that if you want to make lasting improvements you need to master the following formula:
PROGRESS = E + E > I + I
Education + Esteem must be greater than Impulses + Illusions
Educating yourself allows you to fundamentally put things into perspective and apply the knowledge you have learned into your daily life. Don't be ignorant.. all while ignoring the truth because ignorance will manifest into a quick way to self destruct.
Esteem is believing in yourself in order to attempt change and leap towards greatness. Material items or other people's opinions should not be the driving force to determine how you feel about yourself. You have to have an innate passion to find your purpose.
Impulses are uncontrollable acts that are not planned or well thought out. Impulses are usually led by emotions that have been affected by some outside factor that results in an irrational response.
Having the idea that something would make you happy, but when you receive it, after a while the joy is lost and regret subsides. This is what occurs when people have illusions. The thoughts and ideas we imagined would make everything all better.
When you reach that moment when you begin to think you can't do something or your progress is too slow, ask yourself are the "E's" lacking or fading? Are the "I's" increasing? Determine the problem and work on balancing your progress equation. When someone says, get your mind right, typically this is what they mean.
Robyn Swift is a certified trainer and owner of Swift Lifestyle & Fitness.
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