Did you know that up to 73% of people who set fitness resolutions end up quitting before reaching their goals? Some people get too busy, others lose interest, but sometimes there’s a bigger roadblock—mental barriers.
Everyone deals with mental barriers once in a while, even athletes. It can result in a loss of motivation, confidence, and clarity. Instead of allowing it to get worse, let’s take a look at some of the tips and tricks to break down these barriers and get on the right path.
Stop Making Excuses
Excuses aren’t inherently bad. In fact, there are plenty of really great reasons why you may have hit an exercise plateau. You might be dealing with a sick child or a hectic week at work; it’s okay to deviate from your fitness plan to focus on priorities.
However, if you find yourself constantly making excuses for why you’re not hitting the gym anymore, it might be time to stop making excuses and start making progress! Psychological barriers might present themselves in the form of excuses, so it’s time to learn how to work around them.
The most common excuse is “I don’t have enough time”. This may be true during certain periods of your life, but there are plenty of incredibly busy people who fit exercise into their schedule. You don’t need to commit to hour-long sessions at the gym; even 20 minutes is beneficial!
Another excuse might be that you’re too tired to work out. If you’re genuinely tired, that’s okay; it’s healthy to take a break. But you should know that the thing you’re putting off might be the best way to fight that fatigue.
Everyone is guilty of this last common excuse: “I’ll start tomorrow”. While this may have good intentions, think about how many times you may have said it. Procrastination is an easy way to stop you from reaching your goals, and you need to find ways of self-motivating to break that cycle.
Once you can push past the most common excuses, you’ll be able one step closer to breaking down all your mental barriers.
Accomplish Small Goals
Even if you aren’t making excuses anymore, you’ll still need some additional help if you’re going to reach your full potential and stop feeling stuck in life. This means finding the motivation to keep pushing. One of the best ways to do this is to feel a sense of accomplishment.
Think about the last time you reached a goal. Didn’t it encourage you to keep the momentum going? You can replicate that feeling by writing down three small goals you want to reach during the week and then achieve them.
These don’t need to be huge, but you should feel like you achieved something important. This can be anything from sewing a button on an old shirt to getting caught up with laundry. When you can cross off your to-do list, you’ll feel inspired to create some new fitness goals (and accomplish them!)
Find a New Activity
Not everyone is meant for the tedious routine of going to the gym and creating a fitness plan for themselves. That’s why some people prefer group activities or outdoor exercises like hiking. If you’ve hit any workout plateaus, it may be time to look for a new activity.
One of the best aspects of modern society is all of the options you have when it comes to physical activity. You don’t need to settle for the traditional way of getting fit. You can get moving while trying something new!
Look for something you’ve always been curious about, like a kickboxing class or hiring a personal trainer. It doesn’t even need to be specific to exercise. You can start with anything new in your life.
Look for a new recipe or try out trivia night at the bar that just opened in your neighborhood.
Stepping out of your normal routine and exploring a new path can get your creative energy flowing, breaking through those annoying mental barriers that have been keeping you stagnant. Now you can use that feeling to get excited about all of the different ways to get back into exercising.
Do What You’re Afraid Of
Think about what scares you most. No, not the traditional fears like spiders or height. This is about the fears that would improve your life, but you avoid doing because it might make you uncomfortable in some way.
Write down some of your fears, hang them up on your fridge and make the steps toward conquering them.
It can start with something as simple as trying out the gym’s weight room for the first time. Then you can work your way towards finally walking that trail that’s steeper than you’d like. Regardless of what it is, working through your fear will make you more confident and ready to tackle any more challenges.
This can also be attributed to exposure therapy, in which individuals are ‘exposed’ to the things they fear and avoid. When people are presented with the activities, objects, or situations they are afraid of, it can help decrease avoidance.
Breaking Through Mental Barriers
Part of being human is going through moments where you can’t find the motivation to do anything, including hit the gym. Although this is fine in small doses, it can quickly steer you into an unproductive path. The good news is that there are many ways to break through those mental barriers.
Once you find what works for you, you’ll be back to reaching all of your fitness goals and continuing a healthy lifestyle.
Ready to get into the best shape of your life? Then it’s time to contact Alloy Personal Training! Get ready to look and feel your absolute best.
