The changes we want to make in our lives begin with the thoughts in our head. We can be our best advocate, or our harshest critic. Our belief in ourselves can help us cultivate courage to set new goals and take action to increase our health and well-being. How to support your belief in yourself:
- Be kind – if you are healing from injury or coming back to fitness, be kind to yourself and take it slow. Remember that our bodies are miraculous! You are capable of healing, growing and strengthening.
- Start small – small steps, consistently over time yield success! Better to start small than to take on too much and get overwhelmed.
- Be your own best friend – talk back to your inner voice if it is critical. What would you say to that voice if it were criticizing someone you love (hint: it IS!)
- Make room – think about what you might let go of in your life that is not serving you, in order to make room for the life you are creating. This might be physical things (clearing clutter) or it might be obligations that you are energetically done with.
Part of building belief in yourself is doing what you say you will do. Making and keeping commitments to yourself leads to self-confidence. If you put a plan into action and find it is too much, break it down further. Avoid all or nothing thinking. You CAN do this! Here are some suggestions to put your belief building into practice at the gym:
Just come in. Challenge yourself to set up a schedule for the gym and then just come in. Even if you only ride the bike for a few minutes or walk around the gym or do a few sets with weights or on a machine, you are building a habit to support your goals.
Surround yourself with like-minded people. Being around other people who are doing the thing that you want to be able to do, makes it easier to see yourself doing it, to saying yes to putting your running shoes on, grabbing your water bottle & gym bag.
Create connections. Say hi to the staff at the desk, learn their names. Chat with the person on the machine next to you. When did they start? What have they accomplished? Maybe they have a great motivating tip or recommendation for you!
Take a class. Let the instructor know you are new. If you need to take breaks or just do half the class, that is FINE! You will get stronger. (You know who makes good suggestions as far as classes? Our Welcome desk staff! Good thing you know their names!)
Celebrate. Our accomplishments often appear ‘easy’ after the hard work is done and then we fail to give ourselves credit. Keep a journal of your steps and accomplishments. Remember to stop and give yourself kudos for your successes!
By Carol O’Neill, Ortho-Kinetics® Professional Trainer and Massage Therapist.
Carol O’Neill is now a Precision Nutrition Level 1 Wellness Coach and will be offering Wellness Coaching Virtually starting in late April! Contact Carol to schedule.