We’ve all been there, going through all the negative self-thoughts in our mind. You will never lose weight. You are so bad for eating that cake when you should be eating salads. Why even try, when you know you are going to fail? Sounds familiar?
Maybe you even tried various weight loss programs and working out with a personal trainer, but no matter what you were doing you just couldn’t see any results. Or you did get results but you still weren’t happy with your body.
If you’ve recognized yourself in one or more of these situations, it is likely that you don’t have the right mindset when it comes to your body and working out. And believe me, a lot of people don’t. But there is a way to overcome that.
Our mind is a powerful tool and can make or break our success. That’s why implementing mindfulness in your everyday life and especially your workout can help you improve your overall experience and get you closer to achieving your goals.
We can define mindfulness as ‘’maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens.’’
Mindfulness involves acceptance – paying attention to our feelings and thoughts without judging or believing that there is a ‘’correct’’ or ‘’incorrect’’ way to feel or think in a particular moment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re experiencing in the present moment rather than dwelling on the past or imagining future.
What is mindful fitness?
It’s about applying the principles of mindfulness to your workout as well as your daily life and nutrition. Mindful fitness is helping you to get in control of what you are doing, so you can achieve your goals and feel better, not only physically but mentally too.
Whether that be weight loss, toning or just wanting to get fit in order to be healthier you can apply this technique for better and more fulfilling results.
But how does that all work?
By applying mindfulness to your workout routine, you are becoming more aware of your own body and all the sensations that are happening in it while you exercise. Also, when you approach workout mindfully, you devote your complete attention to the task, which doesn’t allow your mind to wander in different directions that may be distracting you.
When you are distracted while exercising, you may lose a feeling of satisfaction about something you’ve done right, or your workout may not be as effective as it could. If you just rush to be done with your exercise you can easily overlook something important.
As soon as you add more focus and mindfulness to your workouts, you will see that you can get a lot more out of them than you might think.
Mindful fitness and personal training
Your personal trainer can help you on your path to becoming more mindful during your workout routine. They will make you step out of your comfort zone and make you be more present in the moment.
Here at Personal Trainers Dubai, we practice mindful fitness regularly. We know that the balance and harmony between physical and mental aspect is very important and we make our program based on that.
Mindfulness as a way of life
But it is not so much mindfulness during exercise that most people need to work on, it is being mindful about your workouts in general – before your training, after your training, and your overall attitude towards your progress.
When you are constantly comparing yourself to others and feeling down because you think you are not where you want to be yet, or you’re thinking how you would rather be somewhere else during your workout, that is distracting you from being fully in the moment and doing your best. Practicing mindfulness before your training can help you perform better and make faster progress.
But It is important to practice mindfulness not only before and during exercise but in everyday life as well. Doing that will improve your emotional regulation, leading to better mood and ability to handle stress, which can help reduce anxiety and negative thoughts. Therefore, you will not only have a healthy body but a healthy mind too.
When you master that, even if you don’t have your personal trainer by your side at a particular moment, you will be able to get rid of all the distractions and motivate yourself to push harder and do better.