But when was the last time you took time to prep your mind? I like to do this on Sundays because it helps clear out last week, and get ready for the upcoming week. Plus, it helps with 'Sundayitis' that creeps into my body if i am not prepared causing me to stress and preventing me from getting to bed before 3am.
Here are some rituals I follow to get my mind focused for a positive, effective and productive week living the healthy and balanced lifestyle:
Acknowledge last week Take a mental inventory of the good, the bad and the ugly. Don’t just sweep all the mess-ups under the rug and don’t beat yourself up about them either. Messing up always present opportunities for growth and learning. I am big into introspection and trying to understand my quirks. Why did I opt for take-out last Wednesday night when I had perfectly good chicken and broccoli waiting for me in the fridge? Why did I skip my Friday workout when I had the time to do it? These are mental challenges, not physical ones. I had the food, and I had the time. So what else is there? My Brain! So, I take time to delve into what I had going on, where I need to focus and how I can mentally understand it to do better.
Choose Positivity Yes, it is a choice! You always get to decide how you see the world. I experience negative emotions just like anyone else, I do negative self-talk and I occasionally get the Sunday Blues. But I turn Sunday around and I use Sundays as a good time to check my mental attitude. I make a list of all the things I am excited for in the upcoming week, whether it’s training, a bootcamp, building a new program or going for coffee with a friend. Whatever it is–list out AT LEAST 3 things you are looking forward to in the upcoming week. It can literally be, I am looking forward to a going to bed at 8pm on Monday night, HA!
Be Grateful Gratitude is one of the quickest and most effective ways to get your mind right. Every morning, I write out one thing I am grateful for. I use my daily planner and I write out, “I am grateful for my home gym that is allowing me to get in great shape” or “I am grateful for great clients who make what I do so much easier and a ton of fun." It can be anything–there is no right and wrong way to do this. Doing it as a daily affirmation is incredibly powerful, and it takes 20 seconds. Plus, it’s fun to look back on previous days’ appreciations.
Create a positive “Action Step" For me personally and when I work with clients I encourage them to notice when they are using negative motivation (i.e. I suck at this, I will never lose weight, it’s so hard!), then acknowledge it AND THEN perform 1 positive action to move yourself from it, to move yourself forward. For example drop and do 5 push-ups and this will help to get yourself de-funked. For me I do 1 minute of burpees, or write “I am awesome and can do anything” in my planner. It is key in those critical moments not to give any more power to the negative (and this is hard because sometimes we just want to be negative lol grrrrr!!). BUT, learn to notice and name the negativity, then choose a positive action step, and move on forward.
Create a positive “Action Step" For me personally and when I work with clients I encourage them to notice when they are using negative motivation (i.e. I suck at this, I will never lose weight, it’s so hard!), then acknowledge it AND THEN perform 1 positive action to move yourself from it, to move yourself forward. For example drop and do 5 push-ups and this will help to get yourself de-funked. For me I do 1 minute of burpees, or write “I am awesome and can do anything” in my planner. It is key in those critical moments not to give any more power to the negative (and this is hard because sometimes we just want to be negative lol grrrrr!!). BUT, learn to notice and name the negativity, then choose a positive action step, and move on forward.
Give yourself permission to be human You are going to mess up. Fall down. Make mistakes. But try anyway. Do your best, be kind to yourself and remember the big picture. Allow yourself the freedom to be human and be you. Just because you have a bite of ice cream does not make you an epic failure. You can get great results and do it without remorse and guilt for any and every tiny slip up. Remember, rid your mind of the all-or-nothing mentality which ALWAYS leads to disappointment and failure-based thinking (I suck!). FOCUS on a balanced mindset which encourages you to become the best YOU you can be, all the while learning, growing and being gentle on yourself.
Have a Happy and Healthy Day, Cheers :)