How to develop the right MINDSET for lifelong training!

Welcome to this week’s newsletter!

I am a firm believer that we are not just training our physical body in the gym.

We are also training the mind.

Whether its building confidence, building good habits, developing a bit more “grit” or just becoming a happier version of yourself…

Strengthening the body strengthens the mind.

However, long term success with training and exercise also requires the right mindset.

When looking at the type of person that “Trains For Life” there are some common positive mental traits you will see.

Let’s take a closer look at these…

They see themselves as someone who trains…

It is a part of who they are, and is something they do.

Training and exercise is not just something they do from time to time whenever they feel “motivated”.

It’s something that has become a normal and integral part of their life, just like their job or career.

And this is why they stick with it long term, because it has become a part of their identity.

So ask yourself this question:

“Am I the kind of person who trains?”

They focus on CONSISTENCY and not perfection…

If life gets busy they make adjustments but always remain consistent.

This may mean cutting back on weekly sessions, or doing shorter sessions when life gets hectic.

It may even mean having to do bodyweight sessions at home because you can’t make the gym.

Or doing a different type of exercise entirely, if you are rehabbing an injury and need to work around an issue.

And if they miss a session (which we ALL do sometimes) it doesn’t lead to a whole week off, they get the very next session in.

Cultivating a mindset that you don’t have to be perfect is a game changer when playing the long game.

Are you trying to be a perfectionist or are you focusing on being consistent?

They focus on how training makes them FEEL, not just how they look…

Aesthetics can be a great motivator and nothing wrong with it being your exercise goal either.

But at some point after a few years or decades, you realise there is more to training than just looking good.

There’s plenty of other amazing benefits to resistance training and exercise that includes:

• Better mobility

• Less injuries

• More energy

• Better mental health and focus

• Better performance at work

What other benefits do you enjoy getting out of training and exercise?

So now that we have covered some key positive mental traits, lets look at some of the negative ones that can sabotage us all…

All or nothing thinking…

I will fully admit that this one plagued me for years in some ways.

Here’s how all or nothing thinking negatively impacts our training:

• You are more likely to skip the session when short on time.

• You’re either training “hard out” all the time or not at all - There’s no middle ground and when life is busy you stop entirely.

• You’re not happy or satisfied unless you are seeing progress ALL THE TIME - Often leading to burnout, dissatisfaction and even injuries.

All or nothing thinking often coincides with a lack of success longterm, constantly losing momentum and a bad relationship with training and exercise.

Accept that you will need to scale back and reduce intensity sometimes.

And remember that doing something is better than nothing.

Have you ever (like me) had an all or nothing attitude towards training?

Short term focus…

Training to drop a dress a size, get in shape for summer and even to help rehab an injury are all worthy aspirations.

But oftentimes people stop once they achieve a more short term goal, as they no longer have a GOAL.

It becomes easy to lose momentum and fall off completely when you have nothing to train for.

Those that stay consistent and train for the long haul ALWAYS have something driving them to get in the gym.

Its a lifetime investment and I have had many clients who have goals such as:

• Wanting to stay fit and healthy for their grand children.

• They want to age as slowly as possible.

• They want to keep playing tennis their whole life.

• They want to stay independent as they get older.

• They want to remain injury and pain free.

What are your lifelong goals regarding resistance training and exercise?

Relying on motivation rather than building discipline, systems and habits…

There’s saying by author James Clear:

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

(I HIGHLY recommend his book “Atomic Habits”)

None of us are motivated all the time, so we do need to build a little discipline to keep us going.

This gets easier with some systems in place to help us cement good training habits.

Systems doesn’t have to mean anything complex either, it could be any of the following:

• Putting your sessions in your diary so they get done.

• Having a structured program.

• Packing your gym gear into your bag the night before.

• Training at a gym on your route to work.

• Having a buddy you train with.

Systems just make it easier to get your training in consistently.

Do you have any good systems in place that help you stay consistent with training?

To wrap up…

None of us are perfect and we mustn’t be hard on ourselves when we cannot train as frequently, or as intensely as we would like.

That is just life…

It’s about becoming a person who sees themselves as somebody who trains.

And this requires having a goal, developing the right systems and habits, and being consistent not perfect!

If you need any help with your program or are interested to find out more about working with me…

Reach out to me on LinkedIn, OR email me personally at [email protected].

Everything starts with a full and thorough assessment and meeting you where you’re at.

This is the best way to plan the most effective AND safe training program for you moving forwards.

For now thanks for reading today, and stay tuned for the next edition of Train For Life next Saturday!

Daryl