Setting Fitness Goals - How to train the brain

Growing up we were all asked to DREAM BIG, that the sky's the limit, that actually no wait, we can reach further than the sky and touch the moon! Just take that leap, do it dream big!

To me, health and fitness goals are far from that. We now live in a world with too many external influences. Lifestyle, Social Media, Relationships, Family, Finances, Health, Work - all these causing all kinds of stress. 

We are asked to dream big, yet we can't even dream. How many of you have trouble sleeping? Thinking too much? Feeling STRESSED?

Yes we live in a stressful world, where food has now become our source of comfort, where food has now become a means for social gathering and where food has turned into a treat and we have forgotten that basic nourishment of food - that we need it to survive.

So where am I going with all this?

We all need to take a step back and set realistic goals that help TRAIN our BRAIN. 
Not to punish ourselves with food but instead nourish our body. I ask you to stop the comparisons of people you see on social media and really think about what YOU want, where you are NOW and where you to be.

Below are a few tips I find helpful for setting goals:

1. Specific, realistic goals work best. When it comes to making a change, the people who succeed are those who set realistic, specific goals. Don't lie to yourself. Saying you will do something one day but things change the next day makes the initial goal set not realistic in the first place.
2. It takes time for a change to become an established habit. It will probably take a couple of months before any changes (like getting up half an hour early to exercise) become a routine part of your life. That's because your brain needs time to get used to the idea that this new thing you're doing is part of your regular routine.
3. Repeating a goal makes it stick. Say your goal out loud each morning to remind yourself of what you want and what you're working for. (Writing it down works too, I have it on my phone). Every time you remind yourself of your goal, you're training your brain to make it happen.
4. Pleasing other people doesn't work. The key to making any change is to find the desire within yourself — you have to do it because YOU want it, not because a girlfriend, boyfriend, coach, parent, or someone else wants you to. It will be harder to stay on track and motivated if you're doing something out of obligation to another person.
5. Roadblocks don't mean failure. Slip-ups are actually part of the learning process as you retrain your brain into a new way of thinking. It may take a few tries to reach a goal. But that's OK — it's normal to mess up or give up a few times when trying. Just remind yourself to get back on track and be kind to yourself, there's no need to beat yourself up about it.

REMEMBER

  

Regards,

She who trains her brain daily.

x

The pursuit of perfection

Yes, we can all agree that Social Media plays quite a large role of what society considers to be perfect. We sit and scroll through our Facebook and Instagram feeds comparing ourselves to every image we see. "Oh, I'd love to have that body", "Oh imagine I had a house that house". The scary yet most exciting thing is that we can have anything we want. Yes, anything. If we want that house we can work hard to be able to afford it and if we want that body and we make the choices that we know will contribute to a healthier you.

So what's the problem? Problem is are we ever satisfied? Is there always something we want more, is what we are working towards ever enough?
I am no different, I am sucked into the digital world, this selective hub of images and words spoken by people I have never met. I sit and get inspired and convince myself that I'm going to make a change. But how long does that motivation really last? What really turns motivation into habit?

It took me a while to really convince myself that I was capable of changing my body. How does one enjoy food without guilt? How do we really find 'that balance'? Am I going to always have this unhealthy relationship with food? All these questions circulate in my head and I came to the conclusion that what's not perfect is the perception YOU have.

Yes YOU. I too contribute to what society portrays as the ideal body. The one thing I have learnt to do is love my body and with this I keep my social media images as realistic as possible. I recall starting this fitness journey & I was forever desperate trying to find images of what bodybuilders and fitness models looked like prior to their journey or even a realistic day shot but it was all filled with images of past photo shoots. Why? Because they too fear judgement.

So I leave you with this thought...

"The scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength or love. Don't give the scale more power than it has earned."
-Steve Marabali