SELF AWARENESS: Mindset
There are incredible highs and the troughs of lows that we will all encounter during our every day lives. These can be even more amplified when we are working towards a goal. That is why self awareness is so important. The ability to recognise the highs and lows and embrace them for what they are is what will keep you motivated and focused.
If you are in the process of working towards a fat loss goal and starting a new training program, you will have probably been online researching the latest trends and techniques and searching social media to find inspiration and guidance on how to achieve your goals.
This can be incredibly insightful and helpful, but also detrimental to your mental state if you are unable to see things for what they are.
Let me explain.
Working towards vs sustaining
Here at Absolute we are realistic about what is achievable for our clients and about how the changes to your lifestyle and habits can take a toll on your wellbeing if not managed correctly. That is what we do as personal trainers. We keep perspective for you, our clients, so that your journey is realistic, manageable, sustainable, and delivers results within the parameters of what you are personally able to commit to.
When you’re following advice from fitness professionals and influencers online, you will most likely attain a lot of information and guidance that is related to the end results. The sustaining stages. Not always the journey to get there. Viewing and digesting others perfect lifestyles, diets, exercise regimes and maintenance can be a very negative experience. This is because when you are on your journey, the end can feel like it is a long way off. Unachievable perhaps. Because a journey is not instantaneous, there is no quick fix…slow and steady will win the race.
You can search through body transformations online and see many, many results and these incredible journeys. Unfortunately these rarely show the difficult moments. The wobbles, the falls, the setbacks they all happen and whether that’s published or not doesn’t change the fact that they happen.
When you are following someone who has achieved their goals, they will most likely be maintaining their results. Their diet has become so natural to them that their sustenance menu will not be the same as your weight loss diet. Their exercise regime will most likely be more intense and physically demanding for you, then it is for them.
We must always have self awareness when looking out into the world at others. This is true for all aspects of life. So should we digest this content when on our own journey. Absolutely, inspiration is a wonderful thing. Ut make sure you are self aware enough to know that you will get there, and you will become the best version of you, but that it will take time. We must do our best to not compare ourselves to others.
Winning vs Losing
We are big advocates of talking about winning moments as much as our lower days. It is important to show both sides of the journey because that is the reality. We actively encourage you to celebrate you achievements and acknowledge the lows as well.
Accountability is so effective at managing such moments. We, as your personal trainers, are here to celebrate and also to pick you up when you’re feeling deflated. But as well as leaning into us why not also create alternative methods of being more self aware?
For instance, you could try some of these methods for better self awareness:
1). Journalling. Write down al of your thoughts and feelings as they arise to help yourself to firstly let go of them and not hold the internally, but to also have a visual representation of positive and negative thoughts or actions have taken place so that you are able to reflect on and follow your own emotions. Recognising and owning how our feelings are in the moment is the best route to self awareness.
2). Keep a diary. This could be a private Facebook or Instagram page that you set up for yourself to post pictures, inspirational quotes, recipes – anything you choose. We don’t recommend that you necessarily share this with anyone, however an online space to fill with your fat loss and training records is a fantastic resource to be able to look back over the journey and start identifying patterns and trends related to your progress and also triggers for when you may be feeling deflated.
3). Support Network. Share with your family and friends what your journey will look like and share with them when you have success and when you are struggling. If your support network know what your goals are, they will be more aware of when you are doing and will be there to cheer you on and pick you up should you need them.
The road isn’t paved with gold
Fat loss is a journey and the road isn’t paved with gold and its important that you see that.
We often get bogged down in the details of what’s wrong or what’s bad and forget all the good we’ve done or has happened to and for us.
If we are realistic and self aware, our old coping mechanisms are likely to creep back in. Emotional eating, drinking alcohol, a reduction in self care such as healthy food choices or bad sleep routines. It is easy to close yourself off and allow the doubt to set in. And that is where the hard work and successes that you have begun to implement will unravel – and fast.
It is also perfectly normal to go through this. We may not be immediately ready to change our behaviour, we may stay in a cycle of trying and falling flat a number of times before it sticks. But the most important thing is that we are trying. We must always try, pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get back on the horse so to speak.
My Self awareness may be your greatest achievement and certainly the greatest gift you will even give to yourself.
Self awareness is what keeps mindset at its best.
Our top tips for better self awareness are
- Always evaluate yourself and your feelings, weekly or daily, whatever works best for you but be honest in your evaluation.
- Set goals for yourself, simple and effective goals. If you aren’t ticking them off, evaluate why. What stopped you? Was it in your control? Again, be honest!
- Create a goal map, think of the biggest things you wish to accomplish in a 12 month period and then create a pathfinder for each goal, how you will achieve it, what obstacles you may encounter and how you can overcome them.
- Recognise your feelings, good or bad, recognise them, acknowledge them and track them back. What created or caused those feelings and if they were negative, how did you overcome them?
- Express yourself, in any form, be it vocal, journaling, singing. Whatever it may be, express those feelings.
And remember, Team Absolute are here for you every step of the way! So chat with us if you are struggling with your self awareness and we will give you practice one to one advice and tips on how to start improving your self awareness.
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