Beginning your fitness journey after 40 can be both challenging and exciting.
But especially challenging if you can't adopt the right mindset. The truth is your fitness journey becomes a lot easier once shift your mindset correctly.
So, in this blog, we’re going to cover some of the main key mindset shifts that can empower you to achieve your fitness goals, while staying motivated, and enjoying the process!
PS: If you haven’t already, don’t hesitate to join my 12-Day Free Challenge, because I genuinely believe it's the best opportunity out there to kickstart your fitness journey.
Okay, let’s dive in!
The Importance Of Mindset In Fitness:
A strong positive mindset is a cornerstone of any successful fitness journey, especially for women over 40. Having the correct mindset allows you to make changes if necessary and continue despite any challenges.
Mindset matters because it helps you maintain motivation and consistency, which are essential for long-term success. When you have a positive mindset, and you genuinely believe in your ability, you’ll be much more motivated and consistent for your goal!
But why is the correct mindset so crucial for women over 40? Here’s the thing, many women over 40 are juggling SO much, whether that’s work, family time, running a house, or their goals, it can be difficult to find time for self-care. But with the correct mindset, you can view all of these challenges as an opportunity to learn and grow from them.
Here’s an example of having an appropriate mindset shift: A woman who views exercise as a non-negotiable part of her day, is more likely to find time for it, regardless of her busy schedule.
Does this make sense?
Benefits of Shifting Your Mindset
Having a positive mindset is very beneficial for yourself and your fitness journey, especially when just starting. Shifting your mindset not only improves your physical health & appearance but also contributes to a more fulfilling and balanced life.
Here are some ways your positive mindset will benefit you as a woman over 40 who’s just kickstarted her fitness journey.
Increased Self-Esteem
Achieving fitness goals, even the smallest ones, will boost your self-esteem and confidence, shifting your mindset to a more positive one allows you to appreciate your progress and feel proud of your accomplishments.
Greater Energy Levels
A positive mindset encourages regular exercise, which increases overall energy levels. When you shift your mindset to viewing exercise as an energy booster rather than a drainer, you’re much more likely to stay active!
Community
Having the right mindset allows you to connect with other women who have similar goals to you, share your passion for fitness, and encourage and motivate you.
The Mindset Shifts:
Embrace Progress Over Perfection:
By shifting your mindset to focus on making progress rather than becoming perfect, you’ll prevent yourself from burning out and feeling frustrated. Besides, perfection is unattainable, focus on a more realistic goal!
Here’s a tip for you… Celebrate small victories and improvements, no matter how small they seem, they’re always worth celebrating. Remember progress, NOT perfection.
Prioritize Self-Care
I’m a big believer in not neglecting your self-care, and stopping putting yourself last, especially as a woman! It’s not selfish to prioritize your health and well-being, as your body is the only place you have to live. Investing time and effort into your fitness is essential for your self-care.
So, with that in mind, schedule your workouts as non-negotiable parts of your day, treat them with importance, and commit to them.
Shift Focus from Appearance
Me and my clients don’t just work out and get fit for appearance-based reasons, such as weight loss or muscle growth. We’ve shifted our mindset to emphasize on our overall health, strength, and energy, and I’ve noticed it’s much more fulfilling that way.
However, appearance may be your priority. So, I recommend setting goals related to how you feel, your beliefs, and your true values, and you’ll be more motivated to achieve them. Such as having more energy to play with your kids or reducing stress levels.
Cultivate a Growth Mindset
Shift your mindset into a more growth-focused one. What I mean by this is, believing in your ability to improve and grow. Understand that fitness levels, confidence, energy levels, and mood can grow with the right mindset, effort, and persistence.
Important Reminder: View challenges and setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow rather than failures.
Practice Self-Compassion
Be kind to yourself, especially on difficult days because we all have them. That mom who seems to have it all together, managing her responsibilities with ease, and who seems fit, confident, and energetic has difficult days too.
So, acknowledge your efforts and give yourself credit, try speaking to yourself the way you would to a close friend. Think, “Would I say this to my best friend”
Rest & Recovery
Don’t have the mindset of “Go! Go! Go!” 24/7, rest and recovery are just as productive as getting the right nutrients in, and working out, don’t burn yourself out, or injure yourself. That’s the last thing we want!
Listen to your body and allow time for rest and recovery.
Focus on Long-Term
Adopt the mindset that fitness is a lifelong journey, NOT a quick fix, small, sustainable habits lead to bigger and lasting results.
Start small if necessary and implement gradual changes that can be maintained over the long term, such as more physical activity to your daily routine (try combining activities) or making healthier food choices. You don’t have to throw yourself in the deep end at the very beginning.
Enjoyment
Having the mindset that working out is a chore is the wrong way to view things, well that’s what I believe. From 35 years of experience being passionate about fitness, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to view working out.
Exercise should be something you look forward to, and enjoy, not something you dread.
Visualization
By Visualizing and focusing on your goals, you can stay motivated and feel excited to achieve your goal. This also helps you adopt the mindset of believing that you’re more than capable of achieving your goals.
Spend a few minutes each day visualizing your success, picture yourself achieving your fitness goals and how it will feel once you do.
Conclusion:
In Summary, beginning your fitness journey after 40 is not just about a physical transformation, it’s also about shifting your mindset so you feel motivated, and excited for your goals too, while having a more balanced and fulfilled life.
It’s about having the mindset that empowers you to overcome challenges and focus on the long term. However still celebrate the smaller achievements you have along the way, they’re worth acknowledging. Learn from setbacks and maintain a growth mindset that sees opportunities to improve rather than failures.
Thank you so much for reading this blog, I hope this gives you clarity with what type of mindset you should have moving forward with your fitness journey!
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