Changing your workout schedule or workout plan is not going to help you stick with the habit of going to the gym.Image: Daily Mom Changing Your Mindset Might Very Well Help You Stick To This Habit Though...The dreaded gym, a daunting task for some, yet a sancuary for others that they can't live without. Ask someone how they feel about the gym and you will likely get some sort of response on how they hate going there everyday yet they manage to get there a few times a week. Ask another person and they will tell you that they can't miss a day at the gym, not just because of the physical benefits but all of the things that working out can help us with mentally as well. If you were to ask me back in middle school and early high school about going to the gym, I would have definitely been in that first boat. Being forced to go run and lift for sports after class was not the ideal way for me to spend my nights. Especially when I had to do all of that and then still go to practice or have a game every night after the training sessions. Slowly sports started to dwindle down for me and in order to keep in shape I had to keep up the habit of the gym. I would still go after class when I was dead tired and really just wanted to sleep or hang out with friends. And as much as I would like to say that all of this consistency in the gym in my early years was the reason that the gym is a sort of "sanctuary" for me now, that is not at all the reason. Looking back, I realized it wasn't the different training programs I was in or even how often I went to the gym that got me to want to come. It was the mental aspect of the gym that made all the difference for me. It was a time to destress and learn about myself, to push my mental and physical boundaries, to learn through podcasts and it was just a time for me during my busy and hectic days. Why Your Current Gym Strategy Isn't Working For YouIt's not because you have the "wrong plan." Maybe you have tried P90x, personal training sessions, group training sessions and even just trying to go on your own with some workout guides you found through a well known source online. Sure, these likely will get you coming back to the gym, for a while at least, but they don't make most people enjoy the gym, or even want to come back for an extended period of time. They think that every time they start lacking motivation in the gym they need to switch their schedule or they need to try a new workout program or even they just need to "push through it" and force themselves to go. The problem with this, especially the latter, is that a lot of people just end up showing up and going through the motions while at the gym. And while you might be telling yourself you are really pushing yourself, you are sitting on your phone for way too long in between sets, interrupting your gym "flow state" and really not enjoying it. Plus, do this long enough and you will start to get discouraged because of the lack of results even though you are at the gym all the time. The Typical "Gym Mindset"Why this negative mindset is holding you back from the benefits of the gym. As I touched on before, many people dread going to the gym, and many to a point where it is a constant battle with their mind each day, most of the time with their mind telling them to stay home winning that battle. They shine a negative light on the gym as something that "has to" get done each day rather than a place they "get to" go to to learn more and challenge themselves. Mindset is everything when it comes to the gym and having a negative mindset will hold you back if it starts getting in the way of you actually going to the gym and then when you do go, dreading the sets. Switch that up through specific actions that I will talk about in a minute here and start to see what real benefits the gym has. They exceed FAR beyond the physical benefits that you might have started going there for. The Benefits of The Gym Extend Far Beyond Our Physical ChangesDon't believe me? Read Below... This might be hard to wrap your head around at first, you might be thinking "who the heck loves going to the gym for anything other than the physical benefits," but actually almost everyone that has a consistent routine and enjoys the gym goes for more than just the way not helps their body look. It's not like this is some secret either, ask many of the people you always see there and you will start to hear similar answers on how it makes them feel mentally when they are there and after they leave. I have found that the gym might be the perfect place to "train" your brain, if you had to pick one thing to do.You can hit almost every area for mental training that you would want to just by going to the gym. You can work on your mental endurance by pushing those extra reps when you start to think that you are done. Instead of just doing however many you set out to do and then stopping like everyone else does. You can start to show yourself that you are "enough" as you start to be able to lift more and when you start to see the progress. This is something so many people struggle with as they enter situations and assume they aren't "enough" to get that girl or do that job or find success in their job. You can start to get rid of that brain fog in your life when you are present in the gym and not constantly on your phone. Being in the gym and just stressing yourself physically will help you focus solely on that and not everything else going on in your life, helping you clear your mind a little. And with a clear mind you are going to be able to better remember things, problem solve more effectively and just have clearer thoughts during the day. Happiness has been a huge one for me after leaving the gym because I show myself that I actually took action on something rather than just thinking about it and happiness comes from the process, it cannot be thought into existence. Also, listening to a podcast during my gym sessions has been one of the ways that has helped me turn the gym into more of a sanctuary for more than just challenging myself. It gives me a for sure time during my busy day where I can learn through listening to the stories of other people around everything from life to business to mindset and any topic you can think of. Life is an endless journey of learning. These are just a handful of the ways that the gym can help us mentally, and for everyone it is different. Just start to watch for these mental changes when you have a more positive mindset around the gym and you will actually start to notice a difference in your thinking compared to when you were just going to the gym because you "had to" and carried a negative stigma around the gym. Your Mental "Workout" To Start Experiencing |
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