For over 38 years I’ve been training/coaching/instructing and I will say a significant part of my job involves teaching clients about their mindset and how it relates to their success with their health and fitness goals.

Two very important mindsets I work on with people is having a growth mindset vs fixed mindset.

Growth Mindset: Belief in the capacity to grow and improve through effort, resilience, and learning; you embrace challenges and feedback.

Fixed Mindset: Belief that abilities are static; the type of people that avoid challenges and may feel threatened by the success of others.

I believe we all have both of those attributes but one of those mindsets is more dominant in all of us. Personally, I would like more growth mindset than fixed mindset especially when it comes to my health and fitness journey.

Ask yourself these questions:

Do I view set backs as a part of the learning process or as a failure?

Do I believe my efforts lead to improvement or a sense of resignation when faced with a challenge?

Do I find motivation or inspiration in other peoples success or am I threatened?

Do I prioritize the process of learning or the outcome only?

I can tell you honestly I have about 85% growth mindset the rest fixed. The fixed mindset I do possess doesn’t serve me well therefore, I try every day to improve my growth mindset.

How do these two mindsets effect your health and fitness journeys?

A growth mindset you are more likely to adopt sustainable lifestyle changes, overcome obstacles, and remain committed to your goals.

A fixed mindset you may struggle to make lasting changes. You may give up easily after setbacks, feel discouraged by challenges, and be less likely to seek help or support.

Here are two ways you can start having more growth mindset in your daily life and in the gym.

Set Incremental Goals:

Break down your large fitness goals into bite size pieces. For example, instead of aiming to run a marathon right away, focus on a 5K and gradually increase your distance over time.

This approach emphasizes progress and mastery over perfection. each small achievement builds confidence and reinforces the belief that improvement is possible, helping shift the focus from fixed abilities to growth through effort.

Practice Positive Self-Talk:

After you workout take a few minutes to self reflect on what went WELL and what you can improve.

I use a journal to write down what I did for a workout/ how long I did it/ how I felt. It takes the focus from the outcome to the effort.

Now the positive self-talk is not dismissing the good parts of that workout, no matter how small the good parts might be. Rather than focusing on the ALL the bad parts of the workout. Soon this mindset will carry into your regular everyday life. Leaving you more positive and curious to learn and GROW.

By actively engaging in these practices, you can foster a growth mindset in your fitness journey, leading to greater resilience, motivation, and long-term success.

Enjoy!!